Karachi Sessions Court to Hear Iqrarul Hassan’s Plea Against NCCIA Custody Tomorrow
KARACHI: A district and sessions court in Karachi will hear on Thursday a petition by television anchor Iqrarul Hassan challenging the four-day physical remand handed to the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) in a case of allegedly disseminating anti-state content.
A judicial magistrate (East) granted the NCCIA custody of the anchor on Tuesday. His defence counsel, Barrister Mian Ali Ashfaq, filed the challenge on Wednesday before a district and sessions judge (East), and the court fixed the Iqrarul Hassan NCCIA custody plea for hearing tomorrow.
What the NCCIA case is about
According to the agency, Hassan was arrested for allegedly spreading anti-state, false and defamatory content through his official social media accounts. The case has been registered under Sections 9, 10, 24 and 26A of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), covering glorification of an offence, cyber terrorism, cyber stalking and punishment for false and fake information.
The anchorperson has been openly critical of the government’s policies on social media in recent months.
Family says he was picked up from home at 3am
Hassan’s family says he was taken from his residence in Lahore’s Defence Housing Authority in the early hours of Monday by men in plainclothes. His wife Farah Iqrar said in a video statement that the men broke open the main gate at around 3am, manhandled her, and confiscated two of her husband’s mobile phones, a laptop and her own phone. She added that a masked woman in the raiding party wore an NCCIA identification tag.
The Punjab government had earlier clarified that the police had not arrested the anchor, a statement that raised questions about which agency took him into custody until the NCCIA’s role became clear.
NCCIA’s expanding caseload
The case lands amid a busy stretch for the cybercrime agency. The NCCIA has recently pursued several high-profile digital cases, from its third letter in the Rizwan matter to warnings about emerging cyber threats facing the country, and its performance and expanding mandate have drawn scrutiny in courtrooms and newsrooms alike. Feature Pakistan earlier reported on the agency’s growing enforcement activity and its notices in other prominent cases, which show how central the agency has become to the state’s handling of online speech.
Legal observers say the sessions court’s decision on the Iqrarul Hassan NCCIA custody plea will be watched closely, both for what it says about remand standards in PECA cases and for the broader debate over how anti-state content charges are applied to journalists.
Frequently asked questions
When will the court hear Iqrarul Hassan’s plea?
The district and sessions court (East) in Karachi fixed the plea for hearing on Thursday, October 15. His counsel said Hassan is also likely to be produced before the court.
What charges does Iqrarul Hassan face?
He is booked under Sections 9, 10, 24 and 26A of PECA, relating to glorification of an offence, cyber terrorism, cyber stalking and false information. The NCCIA alleges he disseminated anti-state and defamatory content on social media.
How was Iqrarul Hassan arrested?
His family says plainclothes men took him from his Lahore home at about 3am on Monday. The Punjab government said police did not arrest him; the NCCIA later confirmed it had him in custody and obtained a four-day remand on Tuesday.
Tags: Iqrarul Hassan, NCCIA, PECA, Karachi sessions court, press freedom, cybercrime
