Pakistani journalist hit with new fraud charge despite court’s custody order

Pakistani authorities charged journalist Farhan Mallick with running a fraudulent call center operation on Wednesday, keeping him in detention despite a court order to transfer him to judicial custody in a separate case involving alleged anti-state videos.

A court in Karachi granted the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) five days of physical remand for Mallick in the new case. The agency accuses the veteran journalist of running an illegal call center that allegedly defrauded foreigners through credit card theft.

The new charges came a day after another court rejected the FIA's request to extend Mallick's detention in the earlier case and ordered his transfer to judicial custody, with a bail hearing scheduled for Thursday.

According to a police report shared by Mallick-owned news platform Raftar, FIA officials raided a Karachi call center on Tuesday, arresting two suspects allegedly involved in stealing credit card information and defrauding foreigners. The report claims the suspects confessed to working under Mallick’s patronage and providing confidential data through software.

Mallick's legal team dismissed the allegations as baseless. "After keeping him in custody in violation of court orders all of yesterday, the FIA sprung a surprise by presenting Farhan Mallick in the Malir court with a new FIR," his lawyers said.

Raftar condemned the new case as "nothing but targeted harassment," accusing authorities of deliberately keeping Mallick’s family in the dark about his whereabouts while delaying his transfer to judicial custody.

"This is not just about Farhan Mallick," the outlet said in a statement. "This is a systemic effort to throttle the voice of an integrity-driven journalist and a direct attack on every single person who dares to speak the truth in this country."

Mallick, a former news director at Samaa TV, was initially arrested on March 20 under Pakistan’s Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA). He faces multiple charges, including a recently introduced provision criminalizing "fake news," which carries penalties of up to three years in prison and fines of up to 2 million rupees (approximately $7,200).

Journalists including Raftar staff members protested Mallick's arrest outside FIA's Karachi premises. March 20, 2025.Raftar / Facebook

Pakistan ranks among the world's most dangerous countries for journalists, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. Reporters Without Borders ranked the country 152nd out of 180 nations in its 2024 World Press Freedom Index.

FIA officials have not responded to requests for comment on the allegations of procedural irregularities in Mallick’s case. His bail hearing in the original case remains scheduled for March 27.