A rights activist known for her criticism of Pakistan's military was abducted and held for several hours in the eastern city of Lahore on her way to a TV studio where she was to appear as an on-air analyst.

Gul Bukhari, 52, was picked up shortly before midnight and held for several hours, before returning home early Wednesday. It was not immediately clear who was behind the abduction. Bukhari's family said she was unharmed, without providing further details.

Bukhari, who also writes columns for Pakistani newspapers, is a prominent member of the local human rights community, which condemned the abduction.

Hundreds of people in Pakistan have gone missing in recent years in what appear to be forced disappearances, including a number of journalists and bloggers who criticized the security forces.