A judicial magistrate in Karachi has rejected the bail application of television anchorperson Syed Iqrar-ul-Hassan, who was arrested last week over allegations of disseminating anti-state, false and defamatory content through his official social media accounts.
The case was registered by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) under multiple provisions of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), 2016, as amended in 2025.
According to the court order, the bail application was filed under Section 497 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) in connection with FIR No. 101/2026, registered at the NCCIA Cyber Crime Reporting Centre in Karachi. The agency’s additional director (legal) was also served notice regarding the application.
Earlier, Karachi East Judicial Magistrate-I Gulraiz Memon sent Iqrar-ul-Hassan to judicial custody until October 26 after rejecting the NCCIA’s request for an extension of his physical remand.
The magistrate observed that the investigation agency had already been given sufficient time to question the accused and found no compelling reason to extend his physical custody.
The court subsequently issued notices to the NCCIA on a bail application filed by Hassan’s defence counsel, Barrister Mian Ali Ashfaq, and scheduled the hearing for October 21.
On October 17, Hassan was presented before the magistrate after completing his initial four-day physical remand. The NCCIA had requested an additional 10 days of custody for interrogation, but the court rejected the request and granted the agency only two further days.
The magistrate also dismissed a petition filed by the defence under Section 63 of the CrPC seeking Hassan’s discharge from the case.
In its remand report, the NCCIA stated that the investigation was ongoing and that several aspects required further examination, particularly the forensic analysis of seized digital devices and records from other government departments, including the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA).
The agency said devices containing approximately 1,145.89 gigabytes of data had been handed over to its forensic team. Investigators were examining applications, social media profiles, email accounts, stored files and communications allegedly linked to the disputed content.
The NCCIA also sought additional custody to investigate the origin of the posts, their connections, possible financial links and any potential cross-border connections.
In an earlier order, the magistrate noted that examining digital footprints, technical data and forensic evidence required reasonable time. The court also observed that discharging an accused while an investigation remained underway could affect the investigative process.
The NCCIA has alleged that the content was intended to provoke the public against constitutional implementation and could lead to panic, disorder and unrest. These allegations remain subject to the legal process.
The case involves several PECA provisions, including Section 9, concerning glorification of an offence; Section 10, concerning cyberterrorism; Section 20, concerning offences against the dignity of a natural person; Section 24, concerning cyberstalking; and Section 26-A, concerning punishment for false and fake information.
Hassan has previously criticised government policies on social media.
