Agencies
A Karachi court on Thursday rejected Iqrarul Hassan’s bail application in a case involving allegations of harming the state and national integrity by disseminating anti-state content. The District and Sessions Court East dismissed a petition challenging Hassan’s physical remand, with the defence counsel questioning the legality of the proceedings and arguing that the case concerned digital and cyber matters. The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) registered the case against Hassan, who is currently in jail on judicial remand.
Last week, the NCCIA produced Hassan before the judicial magistrate, who granted a four-day physical remand. On October 17, the court extended the physical remand by two days, rejecting an application filed by his lawyers and directed the NCCIA to submit a report at the next hearing.
The case against Hassan, filed under Sections 9, 10, 20, 24, and 26-A of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016, stated that the journalist, “through his personal social media accounts on the platforms X, Instagram and Facebook, is intentionally disseminating false, fabricated, anti-state and defamatory content with the object of instigating the general public against the state, its institutions and its functionaries.”
The FIR stated that the content of Hassan’s social media posts portrayed the state, its institutions and its functionaries “in a false and distorted manner.” It also noted that Hassan “represented lawful measures as controversial with the intent to instigate and incite the general public at large against the state and the lawfully constituted authorities.”