A judicial magistrate in Karachi granted the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) four-day custody of anchorperson Iqrarul Hassan following his arrest for allegedly disseminating anti-state, false, and defamatory content through his official social media accounts. Hassan was booked under Sections 9, 10, 24, and 26-A of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA). According …
A judicial magistrate in Karachi granted the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) four-day custody of anchorperson Iqrarul Hassan following his arrest for allegedly disseminating anti-state, false, and defamatory content through his official social media accounts. Hassan was booked under Sections 9, 10, 24, and 26-A of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA). According to his family, unidentified individuals in plainclothes entered his Lahore residence during the early hours of Monday, allegedly manhandled his wife, and confiscated electronic devices before taking him away. His wife claimed that members of the raiding party displayed NCCIA identification. Hassan, who had been critical of government policies on social media, was subsequently presented before a magistrate. The case raises concerns regarding freedom of expression, press freedom, due process, and the application of cybercrime legislation to journalists and media professionals in Pakistan.
