SAR’s Academic Freedom Monitoring Project investigates and reports attacks on higher education with the aim of raising awareness, generating advocacy, and increasing protection for scholars, students, and academic communities. Starting July 1, 2026, SAR no longer publishes reports for the incidents that it records. SAR continues to monitor and record incidents that will be used in the annual Free to Think report. This page provides a record of incidents reported up to that date. Learn more about the Academic Freedom Monitoring Project.

Date of Incident: February 19, 2026

Attack Types: Killings, Violence, Disappearances

Institution(s):University of Toronto

Region & Country:Southern Asia | Pakistan

New or Ongoing:New Incident

On February 19, 2026, Pakistani authorities abducted Hamza Ahmed Khan, a political science PhD student at the University of Toronto.

Khan arrived in Pakistan from Canada on February 13, 2026 to conduct field research for his PhD thesis on the political and economic systems of South Asia. On February 19, he booked a cab for a round trip from Defence to Model Town. The ride was never completed and Khan failed to return. After his friends were unable to locate him, they filed a missing person report with the police.

The Lahore Deputy Inspector General registered a kidnapping case, stating at the time that investigators had no leads regarding a motive or potential suspects.

On February 23, 2026, Khan resurfaced in the custody of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA). He reportedly contacted his sister to inform her that he was being detained in connection with “defamatory posts” made online. Khan’s recent social media activity included calls for the release of and immediate medical attention for former Prime Minister Imran Khan, as well as criticism of various Pakistani political factions, condemnations of human rights violations, and denunciations of Israeli military action in Gaza.

Scholars at Risk is concerned about the temporary disappearance and detention of a student in apparent response to his freedom of expression. While state security forces have a responsibility to maintain security and safety, they must also respect international human rights standards, including by refraining from discriminatory actions against students based on their identities. In addition to harm to the immediate victims, the abduction of students undermines academic freedom and democratic society generally.

Sources:
https://www.dawn.com/news/1974811/kidnapping-case-registered-against-unidentified-suspects-after-canadian-national-reportedly-goes-missing-in-lahore https://x.com/hrcp87/status/2025152540904505560?s=46&t=dOAjqFnMvAVUog9fBqfKlA https://voicepk.net/2026/02/uot-scholar-hamza-ahmad-khan-surfaces-in-nccia-custody-after-3-day-disappearance/?fbclid=IwdGRjcAQJyuNleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEe2RIUUrC-bhiGorb_X7Rij-UfLt5_kcZIbR8iaHOd_PJy0XPMF4nXD78lIt4_aem_GujJHupqCJ0sMG2LQLOn0w https://theprint.in/go-to-pakistan/pakistan-arrests-canadian-scholar-defamatory-posts/2862547/