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Aun Ali Khosa, popular for his satirical take on Pakistan’s political and economic situation, has been abducted by a group of armed men in Lahore. The incident unfolded after Khosa’s recent satire ‘Bill Bill Pakistan’, a song about high power prices in the country, took over social media.
Khosa was abducted from his home on the night of August 15. According to reports, a group of eight to ten men forcibly entered his residence, confiscating electronic devices such as his mobile phone, computer, and digital camera.
Sharing the news on X, Ali Sher Khosa, the singer’s brother, wrote, “AOA everyone, today in the middle of the night my Brother @aun_khosa has been taken into custody by some unknown armed men from his Flat in Lahore. Kindly pray for him. Do spread the word as it will mean a lot to our Family. #releaseAunAliKhosa.”
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With over 1,48,000 subscribers on YouTube, Aun Ali Khosa rose to prominence with his comedy vlogs and skits. Born and raised in Lahore, Khosa started his YouTube channel in 2017 where he shared videos on social issues in Pakistan. He also creates spoofs on daily life and TV shows like Kaun Banega Crorepati.
He recently grabbed eyeballs with his satirical song ‘Bill Bill Pakistan’, which reflected on the country’s poor governance and also highlighted the burden of inflated power bills on the public. Several Pakistanis resonated with the song, especially given its release close to Independence Day. The opening lines of the song are, “Aisi zameen aur aasmaan. Iss passport pe mein jaau kaha (How can I travel with a passport like this?).” The song has been penned by Khosa and performed by Abubakar Khalil and him.
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Amnesty International South Asia condemned Khosa’s abduction, calling it “alarming.” Taking it to X, the official handle wrote, “The abduction of Aun Ali Khosa, digital content creator and comedian, from his home on 15 August is alarming. More than 39 hours since he was taken away from his home in Lahore at 2 AM, his whereabouts remain unknown.”
“Aun has been a critic of the government, and his satirical videos have critiqued the rising inflation in the country. His abduction is part of an established pattern of harassment and intimidation of human rights defenders, political activists, students, and journalists by Pakistani authorities in an attempt to silence them,” it added.
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On Friday, the Lahore High Court ordered the Lahore police to produce the “abducted artist” in the court on August 20, the Dawn reported.
