ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad District and Sessions Court on Tuesday granted two-day physical custody of Pakistan Information Secretary (PTI) Raoof Hasan to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in a case related to his alleged involvement in spreading anti-state propaganda.
The FIA prosecutor produced the PTI official before the court and asked the court to grant physical seizure of the suspect to recover the devices – allegedly used for anti-state propaganda.
A day earlier, Islamabad police had taken Hasan into custody from the party’s central secretariat for heading the digital media cell and allegedly involved in running anti-Pakistan propaganda.
Commenting on the arrest, the police claimed that “PTI’s digital media hub has become a hub of international disinformation from where anti-Pakistan propaganda is being directed across the world”.
Although it was initially said that party president Barrister Gohar Khan was also arrested, ICT later clarified that Hasan was only arrested during the raid at PTI’s central secretariat.
The police raid drew a strong reaction from the former ruling party, with Chairman Gohar condemning Hasan’s arrest.
Flanked by Opposition National Assembly Leader Omar Ayub and former NA Speaker Asad Qaiser, the PTI chairman assured that the party would fight for Hasan.
Notably, the party’s information secretary was left bloodied in May after he was apparently attacked by four transgender people in Islamabad.
During today’s hearing, the agency’s prosecutor informed the court that 30 days of physical custody may be granted in the FIA case.
He then urged the court to hand over the PTI official to the investigating agency for 10 days in physical custody.
However, Hasan’s lawyer Latif Khosa opposed the prosecutor’s request for physical custody.
The lawyer emphasized that Hasan had nothing to do with the social media [team] and asked what investigations had been carried out by the FIA in the last 24 hours.
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 – include sections 9 (glorification of crime), 10 (cyber terrorism) and 11 (hate speech) of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act.
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 harm the integrity of Pakistan and sabotage the law and order situation,” the FIR said based on a complaint by CTD Inspector Sajid Ikram.
