Iqrarul Hassan's NCCIA remand challenged in Karachi court

The defence counsel for anchorperson Iqrarul Hassan on Wednesday approached a sessions court in Karachi against an order allowing the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) to keep him in custody for four days in a case related to alleged anti-state social media content.

Barrister Mian Ali Ashfaq filed a criminal revision application before a district and sessions judge (East) on Wednesday. The court has fixed the matter for hearing on Thursday, when Hassan is also likely to be produced, according to the lawyer.

Iqrar was handed over to the NCCIA on Tuesday by a judicial magistrate (East). The agency accused him of sharing anti-state, false and defamatory material through his official social media accounts.

The case was registered under Sections 9, 10, 24 and 26A of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca). These provisions cover glorification of an offence, cyber terrorism, cyberstalking and the dissemination of false and fake information.

Iqrar’s custody followed allegations by his family that a group of men had taken him from his Lahore home in the early hours of Monday.

His wife, Farah Iqrar, said in a video statement that the incident took place at around 3am at their residence in Defence Housing Authority (DHA), Lahore. According to her, the men broke open the main gate and entered the house before taking Iqrar away.