A court in Islamabad Monday placed Raoof Hasan, the information secretary of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), and other suspects allegedly involved in an anti-state propaganda case under a 14-day judicial remand.
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had presented Hasan before District and Sessions Judge Shafiq Bhatti, who rejected the agency's request for a further five-day physical remand.
Hasan, who was arrested last Monday, was handed over to the FIA on a two-day remand on Tuesday. Later, the court approved a three-day extension to his physical remand and then a two-day remand for further investigation.
In today's hearing, the FIA's prosecutor said that the agency had received a "technical report" showing that all the suspects — members of the PTI's media cell — were in contact with one another.
"We need a further five-day remand to investigate," the prosecutor said, at which defence counsel Ali Zafar opposed granting the FIA a further extension in the physical remand.
Zafar, a top PTI leader and a senior lawyer, informed the court that Hasan had been on physical remand for seven days and his health was deteriorating. He should be allowed to undergo a medical check, at which the court ordered the authorities to ensure that he received medical attention.
In the previous hearing, Hasan had informed the court that the allegations levelled against him were "baseless".
PTI's information secretary, along with several other PTI 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 sections 9 (glorification of an offence), 10 (cyber-terrorism), and 11 (hate speech) of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca).
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 incite people against the state and the army in a bid to create a chaotic situation.
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