Television anchor Iqrar ul Hassan faces charges of spreading anti-state and defamatory content on social media under PECA law.
A Pakistani court has remanded television anchor and journalist Iqrar ul Hassan to the custody of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) for four days in a case accusing him of disseminating false, anti-state and defamatory content on social media.
A judicial magistrate in Karachi’s East district granted the four-day physical remand on Tuesday after the NCCIA produced Hassan before the court and requested 14 days of custody for investigation. The magistrate directed investigators to produce him again on 17 October along with a progress report.
TV Host Iqrar ul Hassan Arrested Over Alleged Anti-State Posts:
Iqrar ul Hassan, known for his work as a television host and more recently as the chief of the Awam Raj Tehreek political group, was taken from his residence in Lahore’s Defence Housing Authority (DHA) in the early hours of Monday. His family said a group of men in plain clothes, one of whom was wearing an NCCIA identification tag, forced their way into the house around 3am, broke open the main gate and took him away. They also confiscated mobile phones and a laptop, according to his wife, Farah Iqrar, who alleged she was manhandled during the operation.
The NCCIA later confirmed the arrest, stating that Hassan had been detained for allegedly posting content on his official social media accounts-including X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook-that was “false, fabricated, anti-state and defamatory” and intended to instigate the public against the state, its institutions and officials. He has been booked under Sections 9, 10, 24 and 26-A of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016.
Investigators told the court they needed custody to recover digital devices, examine social media accounts, recover deleted data, and probe any financial benefits linked to the content. Iqrar ul Hassan was produced in court without a lawyer, according to reports.
Iqrar ul Hassan Arrest Raises Press Freedom Concerns:
Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari had earlier clarified that Punjab Police were not involved in the arrest and that the matter was under investigation. The case was registered at the NCCIA’s Cyber Crime Reporting Center in Karachi.
The detention has drawn attention amid ongoing concerns in Pakistan about the use of cybercrime laws against journalists and critics. Press freedom advocates have frequently criticised PECA for its broad provisions, which they say can be used to restrict independent reporting and online expression.
Iqrar ul Hassan is scheduled to be produced before the magistrate again on 17 October, when the court will decide on any further remand or bail.