ISLAMABAD: A court in the federal capital has sent Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Raoof Hasan and other suspects to 14-day judicial custody in an anti-state propaganda case.
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) produced Hasan before District and Sessions Judge Shafiq Bhatti, who rejected the agency’s request for another five-day physical remand.
Hasan, who was arrested last Monday, was handed over to the FIA on Tuesday for a two-day remand. Later, the court approved a three-day extension of his physical custody and then a two-day detention pending further investigation.
At today’s hearing, the FIA prosecutor said the agency had received a “technical report” showing that all the suspects – members of PTI’s media cell – were in contact with each other.
“We need another five-day remand for investigation,” said the prosecutor, at which defense counsel Ali Zafar objected to the grant of further extension of FIA’s physical remand.
Zafar, a senior PTI leader and senior lawyer, informed the court that Hasan had been in physical custody for seven days and his health was deteriorating. He should be allowed to undergo a medical examination in which the court ordered the authorities to provide medical care.
At a previous hearing, Hasan informed the court that the allegations leveled against him were “baseless”.
The PTI Information Secretary along with several other members of the PTI media cell have been booked by the FIA over their involvement in the digital media cell and its alleged involvement in running anti-Pakistan propaganda.
In its FIR, the FIA said that during the investigation of PTI activist Ahmad Waqas Janju, the suspect revealed that he was involved in alleged anti-state propaganda along with party leadership and media cell members.
The charges against the 12 suspects – two of whom are women – cover sections 9 (glorification of crime), 10 (cyber terrorism) and 11 (hate speech) of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca).
The suspects are Waqas, PTI’s top leader Hasan, Afaq Ahmed Alvi, Hameedullah, Rashid Mahmood, Zeeshan Farooq, Syed Usama, Mohammad Rizwan Afzal, Mohammad Rafiq, Syed Hamza, Farhat Khalid and Iqra.
“…using various tactics on social media, [these people] are trying to damage the integrity of Pakistan and sabotage the law and order situation,” the FIR said based on a complaint by CTD Inspector Sajid Ikram.
Ikram said that Janjua told his interrogators that members of the media cell with internal and external help are also damaging the integrity of the country on a daily basis.
The FIR mentions that members of the media cells take instructions from Hasan every day to incite people against the state and the army in an attempt to create a chaotic situation.
