Pakistan court remands Khan party supporter to FIA over social media posts

A local court in Islamabad on Monday remanded Haider Saeed, an activist linked to Pakistan’s largest opposition party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), into the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) custody for three days of physical remand.

Saeed was arrested Sunday morning from his residence in Islamabad and was presented in court the next day. The FIA sought an eight-day remand, arguing that further investigation and interrogation were required. However, the court granted three days of custody.

The FIA accused Saeed of using social media to “knowingly disseminate fake, false, misleading, and misinterpreted information” to create unrest in society.

He was also charged with allegedly glorifying the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) and promoting its activities, which authorities claim is an attempt to incite insurgency and subversion.

Saeed has been booked under Sections 9, 10, and 26-A of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016. Section 9 criminalizes content that glorifies offenses or promotes hate speech, Section 10 covers cyber activities threatening national security, and Section 26-A pertains to spreading false information.

PTI calls arrests illegal

Speaking to Nukta, PTI’s information secretary, Sheikh Waqas Akram, condemned the arrest, calling it part of a broader crackdown on the party’s digital activists.

“Four of our social media team members have been illegally arrested from Punjab in the last few days, and they have yet to be presented in court,” Akram said.

He named the detained individuals as Usman Mehmood, Farhan Chishti, Saad Tariq, and Qadeer Amjad, adding that their social media accounts are currently inactive.

While acknowledging that Saeed is not an official member of PTI’s social media team, Akram described him as an active supporter of former prime minister Imran Khan. “The way he was taken from his house is highly condemnable,” he added.

According to Akram, more than 125 PTI workers have been arrested over the past six weeks, but most were eventually produced in court.

FIA books journalist, activist, and lawyer

The FIA’s cybercrime wing has also registered cases against journalist Ahmed Noorani, activist Aina Durkhanai, and lawyer Shafeeq Ahmed under cyberterrorism laws. All three individuals are currently residing abroad.

Noorani, speaking to Nukta, said the FIA objected to one of his posts on X (formerly Twitter), where he referred to a BLA member as a “freedom fighter.”

“My other posts only stated facts, such as the BLA releasing passengers. In another post, I argued that people fighting for their rights shouldn’t automatically be labeled terrorists,” Noorani said.

He maintained that his writings do not target the state but rather criticize its policies. “I have consistently written such posts, and this is the first time an FIR has been registered against me,” he said.

Noorani alleged that his legal troubles stem from his investigative reporting on “cyber blasphemy cases” and the murder of Abdullah Shah. “We proved that a blasphemy business group was behind his murder, and that’s why the FIA is targeting me,” he claimed.

An FIA official involved in the investigation told Nukta that Haider Saeed is the only person arrested so far in the anti-state propaganda inquiry, while the others named in the case are living abroad.