Momina Iqbal’s harassment case: Court extends pre-arrest bail of PML-N MPA Chadhar, wife

WEB DESK: PML-N MPA Saqib Chadhar and his wife, who are facing legal proceedings over allegations of harassing television actress Momina Iqbal, have been granted an extension in their interim pre-arrest bail until July 28 by a session court.

During the hearing, Chadhar appeared before the court accompanied by his lawyers, while his wife remained absent.

The investigating officer of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) requested additional time to complete the investigation.

Following the request, Additional District and Sessions Judge Nusrat Ali Siddiqi extended the couple’s bail until July 28 and directed the investigating officer to submit a progress report at the next hearing.

The NCCIA registered a case against the couple last month after the actress filed a complaint against the Punjab lawmaker and his wife.

The case was registered under Sections 3 (unauthorised access to information system or data), 4 (unauthorised copying or transmission of data), 21 (offences against the modesty of a natural person and minor) and 24 (cyber stalking) of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (peca).

The FIR also includes sections 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence or giving false information to screen offender), 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) and 109 (punishment for abetment) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

According to the FIR registered on Momina Iqbal’s complaint, she alleged that Chadhar, his wife, and their “known and unknown associates” had carried out a campaign of cyber harassment, stalking, criminal intimidation, blackmailing, defamation, unlawful surveillance and threats against her and her family.

The actress alleged that after she rejected Chadhar’s marriage proposal upon learning that he was already married, he retaliated through repeated threats, attempts to access her private data, sending violent content and blackmailing her through her private videos.

The FIR said that the accused allegedly defamed her socially and professionally, disrupted her 2023 marriage proposal through false information, and recently intensified threats to leak private material, harm her and her fiancé, and interfere with her upcoming marriage.