Journalist Bilal Ghauri was handed over to the NCCIA on a three-day physical remand on Monday in a case registered under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), in which he has been accused of disseminating false information.
The case, registered on September 6, relates to content allegedly created and shared by Ghauri regarding the appointment of the National Counter Terrorism Authority’s (Nacta) national coordinator.
Ghauri was produced before Judicial Magistrate Malik Aman on Thursday after completion of his three-day physical remand. The NCCIA requested a further six days of custody, citing the need for additional investigation.
Opposing the request, Ghauri’s lawyer, Imran Shafiq, argued that the agency had already confirmed that the required recoveries had been completed. He questioned the need for further physical remand if investigators had already obtained the relevant evidence.
The counsel said the NCCIA had taken possession of Ghauri’s mobile phone and laptop and had access to his social media accounts. He also argued that investigators should first establish how the statement attributed to his client was allegedly false.
Ghauri told the court that the investigating agency had possession of his electronic devices and social media accounts.
The investigating officer, however, told the court that two-step verification was enabled on Ghauri’s social media accounts, making it difficult for investigators to access them.
After hearing arguments from both sides, the court extended Ghauri’s physical remand for another two days and ordered the NCCIA to produce him before the court again on September 12.
The first information report (FIR) was registered on behalf of the state through NCCIA Technical Assistant Muhammad Umair Warsi under Sections 20 and 26-A of PECA. Section 20 relates to offences against the dignity of a natural person, while Section 26-A concerns the dissemination of false and fake information.
According to the FIR, Ghauri allegedly uploaded and disseminated content concerning the appointment of Nacta’s national coordinator.
The FIR said an inquiry into the matter found that Ghauri had allegedly “intentionally created, uploaded, transmitted and disseminated” what authorities described as false narratives through social media platforms.
The inquiry further concluded that the material was allegedly false and misleading and had been presented without a lawful, factual or independently verifiable basis.
According to Ghauri’s lawyer, the vlog containing the remarks in question was uploaded on September 5, while the journalist was arrested later that night.
