KARACHI: A Karachi judicial magistrate on Tuesday remanded television anchorperson Iqrarul Hassan into the custody of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) for four days in a case involving alleged online content.
According to the agency, Hassan was arrested over allegations of sharing anti-state, false and defamatory material through his official social media accounts. The case has been registered under Sections 9, 10, 24 and 26-A of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA).
Hassan’s detention followed reports that men in plain clothes took him from his Lahore residence in the early hours of Monday. His family claimed that one of the individuals involved in the operation was wearing an NCCIA identification tag.
Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari earlier said that the police had not arrested Hassan and that the matter was under investigation.
In a video statement, Hassan’s wife, Farah Iqrar, alleged that several men in plain clothes forced their way into the family’s residence in Lahore’s Defence Housing Authority (DHA) at around 3am. She said the men broke open the main gate before entering the premises and taking her husband away.
Farah further claimed that she was manhandled during the operation. According to her account, the raiding party also seized two mobile phones belonging to Hassan, a laptop and her own mobile phone. She added that a masked woman among the group was wearing an NCCIA identification tag.
Hassan has frequently used social media to criticise government policies. His four-day remand will allow the NCCIA to investigate the allegations against him. The accusations remain allegations at this stage.
