News Desk
A local court in Islamabad on Saturday rejected a request by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) for the physical remand of journalist Fakharur Rehman and instead ordered that he be sent to jail on judicial remand, marking another escalation in Pakistan’s widening clampdown on the press.
Rehman was arrested a day earlier under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca). According to an NCCIA first information report dated 20 April, he is among nine people accused of spreading “false and misleading information against state institutions” on the social media platform X.
He was produced before District Magistrate Yasir Mahmood. During the hearing, defence counsel Ahad Khokhar argued that the prosecution had failed to show any evidence that Rehman had intentionally spread false information. He said the journalist had merely quoted remarks made by a religious scholar and had not expressed any personal opinion.
The defence questioned why thousands of others who shared the same video had not been investigated and asked whether the cleric whose comments were referenced had been interviewed by investigators. Khokhar told the court that Rehman had already responded to an NCCIA notice issued on 14 April and had cooperated fully.
The defence opposed physical remand, noting that Rehman’s mobile phone had already been seized and no further recovery was pending. The NCCIA prosecutor argued that Rehman had admitted ownership of the post but had not provided the password to his phone, and sought physical remand to examine the device further.
After hearing both sides, the court rejected the request and sent Rehman to jail on judicial remand.
The FIR was registered under Section 20 and Section 26‑A of Peca, alleging that Rehman and several other journalists and commentators, including Sabir Shakir, Moeed Pirzada and Adil Farooq Raja, had “knowingly disseminated fake, false, misleading and misinterpreted information” that could create fear and unrest. It accused them of mocking and maligning state institutions.
Peca has long been criticised by media bodies. The law was amended again in January 2025, prompting strong opposition from journalists who say it is being used to suppress reporting and silence dissent. Earlier this month, speakers at a programme in Karachi described Peca as a “black law” designed to curb press freedom.
The Senate Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting recently discussed the rising number of cases filed under Peca and agreed to form a subcommittee to examine the issue.
In its annual report for 2025, the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors warned that media freedom in the country had deteriorated sharply, with journalists facing punitive actions, intimidation and arrests. Rehman’s detention adds to a growing list of reporters and commentators who have been targeted under cybercrime provisions.
