ISLAMABAD: A court in the federal capital has approved the extension of physical custody of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) spokesperson Raoof Hasan and handed him over to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for three more days.
The FIA has tasked PTI’s information secretary and several other members of PTI’s media cell to run the digital media cell and its alleged involvement in running anti-Pakistan propaganda.
The police said that “PTI’s digital media hub has become a hub of international disinformation from where anti-Pakistan propaganda is being directed across the world”.
Hasan and others who were arrested were produced before the court today after completing two days of physical detention.
During the hearing, the petitions of the two arrested women PTI secretariat members seeking bail against a bond of Rs 50,000 each were approved.
The FIA prosecutor said during the hearing today that social media campaigns were conducted against two state institutions.
The lawyer argued that the two women nominated in the FIR were employees of PTI’s social media cell and that granting bail would affect the case.
“The sections of the Electronic Crime Prevention Act that were imposed on both women are also important, we also have evidence against them,” said the prosecutor.
In response, defense lawyer Ali Bukhari said if the federal agency has evidence, it should present it to the court.
The FIA prosecutor then claimed that the two women were employed for a “special purpose”. He then asked the court to extend the physical custody of the suspects – 12, including Hasan.
The lawyer added that the social media accounts have not yet been restored. He claimed that people run WhatsApp groups for money and some people abroad are also involved in this act.
The prosecutor said that during the investigation, FIA officials also found that fake accounts were being run from the mobile phones of the suspects.
The FIA prosecutor added that Hasan heads the social media team. He said campaigns are being waged against the administration and the judiciary, adding that the body needs more time to gather evidence as it has only one social media expert.
“Physical detention is not only for recovery, custody can also be taken for investigation. We don’t want to get punishments for Raoof Hasan and others, but we just want to investigate.”
Housing
In its FIR, the FIA said that during the investigation of PTI activist Ahmad Waqas Janju, the suspect revealed that he was involved in alleged anti-state propaganda along with party leadership and media cell members.
The charges against the 12 suspects – two of whom are women – include PECA sections 9 (glorification of a crime), 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 Usama, Mohammad Rizwan Afzal, Mohammad Rafiq, Syed Hamza, Farhat Khalid and Iqra.
“…using various tactics on social media, [these people] are trying to harm the integrity of Pakistan and sabotage the law and order situation,” the FIR said based on a complaint by CTD Inspector Sajid Ikram.
Ikram said Janjua told his interrogators that members of the media cells with internal and external help are also damaging the integrity of the country on a daily basis.
To ensure their above objectives, Janjua claimed that a media cell has been set up in the Islamabad office headed by Hasan.
The FIR mentions that members of the media cells take instructions from Hasan every day to make people go against the state and the army in an attempt to create a chaotic situation.
“Fake social media accounts have been created and online campaigns are launched every day to create an atmosphere of rebellion,” the statement said.
The FIR alleges that the media cell runs smear campaigns whenever there is a terrorist incident; campaigns to create a narrative that lives are being lost because of government and law enforcement policies.
