Kubra Khan asked to cooperate with FIA in defamation case against YouTuber

Pakistani actor Kubra Khan has been asked to cooperate in an inquiry led by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in line with a sensational and malicious campaign against her.

The directive was passed by the Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday, with orders for the federal agency and Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to block defamatory content circulating online on social media sites against Khan.

On December 31, UK-based YouTuber and retired army officer Adil Farooq Raja levelled serious allegations against some actresses without naming them and by mentioning their initials — SA, KK, MH and HK.

However, unhappy fans and netizens attached the names of four actors to these initials, forcing them to respond to the allegations on social media.

One of the allegedly accused actor's was Kubra Khan, who told Raja to either provide proof for his claims or retract the statement and publicly apologise or she would take strict action and sue him for defamation.

The actor — whose real name is Rabia Iqbal Khan — later petitioned the SHC against “derogatory, defamatory, malicious, incendiary, dangerous and sensational allegations” made by the YouTuber against her and three other co-actors.

During Monday's hearing, the FIA submitted a report on the campaign against the television actor, stating that the agency had started a probe.

The agency confirmed that it had forwarded the case to the PTA and provided the alleged YouTube, Instagram and Twitter accounts to the telecommunication authority's focal person.

"The focal person of the FIA cybercrime circle sent a request immediately to block the alleged accounts through PTA and provided the tracking codes after fulfilling all the due and official formalities for blockage of the alleged accounts," said the FIA report.

It also said that the petitioner had filed the complaint on the wrong portal which does not fall under the domain of the FIA cybercrime wing.

The court later adjourned the hearing till January 23.

Petition

Raja made false allegations against four actors, causing an affront to their modesty, and dignity by claiming they were used by agencies to lure politicians into compromising positions at safe houses, said the petition.

A counsel for the petitioner submitted that Raja, later on, uploaded another video where he clarified the issue and retracted from his earlier version. However, it had irreparably damaged the reputations of the actors, including the petitioner, during the process on account of the contents uploaded on social media sites and cyberspace, added the counsel.

The counsel submitted that the act of the YouTuber was strictly cognisable under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016 (PECA).