Hours after reportedly going “missing” from Dubai airport, satirical comedy show host Aftab Iqbal has safely returned home.

 

“We went through a tough time, but Alhamdulillah, Aftab Iqbal has safely returned home. Thank you to everyone who prayed for us,” read a tweet posted on Aftab Iqbal’s official handle on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday.

 

 

Aftab Iqbal's counsel, Mian Ali Ashfaq, clarified in a post on his X handle on Tuesday that no case had been registered against his client in Pakistan, adding, “Aftab Iqbal's name has not been included in the no-fly list due to judicial intervention. Despite this, he was stopped at Dubai airport last night and had left for home safely some time ago.”

 

Ashfaq further stated that Aftab Iqbal himself would narrate the story in a few hours.

 

Earlier, it was reported that a renowned host was “missing” after his detention at the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Airport in Dubai.

 

According to Aftab's daughter, Ayesha Noor Iqbal, her father was arrested after landing at Dubai airport.
“He returned from the UK with my mother, and the immigration authorities took him away. Later, they said he has a clean chit from the UAE government, but they gave no further details of where and how he is,” she said.

 

The host's brother, Junaid Iqbal, confirmed the development in a post on his X account. 

 

He stated that Aftab Iqbal was detained from Manchester upon arrival in Dubai without any explanation. “He [Aftab Iqbal] was stopped and detained there without assigning any reason. We have not yet got wind of him ever since,” he added.

 

He urged authorities to intervene and ensure Iqbal’s safe exit from the airport.

 

It may be recalled that days after the TV host's detention at the Dubai airport, he accused the former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa of blocking his comedy show from going on air in 2022. 

 

Iqbal claimed that he had made a parody song with visuals related to the then COAS, which offended him. However, he clarified that had he not made the parody, his show would never have gone off the air. 

 

“PEMRA is the instrument of a fascist imported govt which can’t tolerate any justifiable criticisms. My Programme, which is recognised as satire, has been forced off the air. Is this democracy worse than Mussolini’s fascist Italy? I intend to contest these illegal actions on every forum [sic],” the journalist had said in a post on his X account in 2022.

 

Aftab has worked on many prominent news channels, including Geo News, Express News, Dunya News, and Samaa.