Media house owner, anchor booked under sedition charges

ISLAMABAD: The federal capital police Thursday registered a first information report against TV channel chairman Shoaib Shaikh and programme anchor Sami Abraham on sedition charges.

The complainant said that the suspects were working against Pakistan, state institutions and security agencies on the direction of agencies of anti-Pakistan countries, adding that they were working for enemies of Pakistan.

A citizen of Islamabad, Arifullah, lodged a written complaint with the Kohsar Police Station, saying that Sami Abraham and Shoaib Shaikh were involved in hatching an organised conspiracy, inciting people for insurgency, civil war and disobedience in the country through TV programme and speeches against state institutions and armed forces.

The FIR (475/23) was registered under sections of Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), 124-A, 120-B, 121, 121-A, 131, and Anti Terrorist Act 7, 21 I, 11Wii.

The complainant claimed in his written application that the people nominated in the FIR were involved in inciting the people on May 9 through their video messages and writings for attacking sensitive military installations to create anarchy in the country.

Islamabad IGP Dr Akbar Nasir, when contacted to obtain his version, said that the FIR has been registered against the suspects on the complaint of a citizen according to law. He said wherever the people are based and involved in inciting public to attack sensitive installations would be dealt with according to the law.