KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) — A top Pakistani human rights lawyer who was abducted by armed men in the country's biggest city of Karachi returned home Friday, police said.

It was not immediately clear who was behind Jibran Nasir's kidnapping on Thursday or where he had been held. His release came after dozens of protesters held a rally in Karachi to condemn his abduction.

Nasir’s wife said the couple was returning home after dining out on Thursday evening when a group of armed men in two white vans intercepted their car in an upscale area.

The men took Nasir away but left her unharmed, said the lawyer's wife Mansha Pasha. She said she did not know who was behind the abduction.

No one has claimed responsibility for the incident, but the disappearance drew condemnation from rights activists who held the protest the next day.

The incident appeared to be the latest in a recent rash of abductions in Pakistan that rights groups say may be forced disappearances at the hands of the secret service.

Amnesty International said the Pakistani “authorities must expeditiously and impartially investigate and determine his whereabouts."

"If in state custody, Jibran must either be released immediately or if there is sufficient evidence, produce him in a civilian court,” the London-based watchdog said on Twitter.

Although Pakistani law prohibits detention without court approval, security officials often detain suspects over alleged ties to militant groups.

Nasir's brief abduction came amid an ongoing crackdown against supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan in connection with last month’s violent protests and attacks on military installations and public property. The violence erupted after Khan's arrest on May 9 from a court in Islamabad where he was appearing in a graft case.

The turmoil subsided only when the country's Supreme Court released Khan. Since then, police have detained more than 5,000 people in connection with the violence.

Parliament ousted Khan in a no-confidence vote in April 2022.