Raoof Hasan, others handed over to FIA for two more days

ISLAMABAD: A court in the federal capital extended physical remand of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) Information Secretary Raoof Hasan and other suspects by two more days, handing them over to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in a case related to dissemination of anti-state content.

Hasan, who was arrested by Islamad Police on Monday, was handed over to the FIA on a two-day remand on Tuesday. Subsequently, a court then approved a three-day extension in his physical remand along with other PTI workers.

PTI's information secretary, along with several other PTI's media cell members have been booked by the FIA regarding their involvement in a digital media cell and its alleged involvement in running anti-Pakistan propaganda.

In its FIR, the FIA stated that while probing PTI activist Ahmad Waqas Janjua, the suspect revealed that he, along with the party's leadership and media cell members were involved in alleged anti-state propaganda.

The charges against the 12 suspects — two of whom are women — include the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act's sections 9 (glorification of an offence), 10 (cyber-terrorism), and 11 (hate speech).

The suspects are Waqas, PTI's top leader Hasan, Afaq Ahmed Alvi, Hameedullah, Rashid Mahmood, Zeeshan Farooq, Syed Osama, Mohammad Rizwan Afzal, Mohammad Rafiq, Syed Hamza, Farhat Khalid, and Iqra.

"...by employing various tactics on social media, [these people are] trying to hurt the integrity of Pakistan as well as sabotage the law and order situation," the FIR, filed on the complaint of CTD Inspector Sajid Ikram, read.

Ikram said that Janjua told his interrogators that the media cell members, with internal and external help, also damage the country's integrity on a daily basis.

The FIR mentions that media cell members take directions from Hasan every day to make the people go up against the state and the army in a bid to create a chaotic situation.

Responsible for dealing with electronic media

Presenting Hasan and other suspects before Duty Judge Mureed Abbas's court, the FIA prosecutor sought a further eight-day physical remand of Hasan, stressing that the agency cannot carry out the investigation if they are not granted custody of the PTI official.

Noting that the FIA can seek a remand of up to 30 days under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca), 2016, he said that the transcript of anti-state videos has also been added to the case record.

On the judge's question whether Hasan had received a visa or a ticket from India, the prosecutor responded in the affirmative and said that the PTI official had received a ticket from the neighbouring country.

Judicial Magistrate then asked Hasan if he had travelled to India and whether he acknowledged his chat with a person named Rahul.

At this, the PTI's information secretary said that Rahul lives in the United Kingdom and invited him as a guest speaker in Bahrain in December 2023.

Presenting his arguments, Hasan's lawyer Shoaib Shaheen said that a person cannot be considered a criminal simply for being part of a WhatsApp group.

"At least PTI workers should be discharged from the case," said Shaheen.

Speaking in the court, Hasan maintained that the case in which he has been arrested doesn't fall under his domain as the PTI's information secretary.

"My responsibility is to deal with electronic media [...] Zulfi Bukhari handles international media," he said while terming allegations levelled against him as "baseless".

After arguments from both sides, the court then approved an extension of the suspect's physical remand by two days. However, it dismissed the request for PTI worker Syeda Arooba's physical remand and ordered for her to be sent to jail on judicial remand.