NCCIA gets three-day physical remand of journalist Bilal Ghauri

ISLAMABAD: An Islamabad judicial magistrate on Monday granted the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) three-day physical remand of journalist Bilal Ghauri in a case registered under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca).

Ghauri was produced before Judge Malik Aman of the Islamabad District and Sessions Court, where the NCCIA sought 10-day physical remand for further investigation.

The court, however, rejected the agency’s request for a 10-day remand and granted three-day physical custody.

According to the first information report (FIR), the case was registered on September 6 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.

The FIR alleged that Ghauri uploaded and disseminated content on September 5 concerning the appointment of the National Counter Terrorism Authority (Nacta) national coordinator.

It stated that the content allegedly contained assertions and allegations regarding the process and circumstances surrounding the appointment.

According to the FIR, an inquiry concluded that Ghauri had intentionally created, uploaded, transmitted and disseminated what the authorities described as false narratives through social media platforms.

The inquiry further alleged that the content was false and misleading and had been presented without a lawful, factual or independently verifiable basis.

During Monday’s proceedings, Ghauri’s lawyer, Advocate Imran Shafiq, opposed the NCCIA’s request for a 10-day physical remand.

He argued that his client had been arrested without being served any prior notice. The lawyer said the vlog in question was uploaded on September 5 and Ghauri was arrested the same night.

Shafiq maintained that there was nothing in the vlog that could be termed false or fabricated and challenged the prosecution to identify the specific statement it considered false.

Ghauri also told the court that his remarks were not directed at any individual but concerned Nacta and the institution’s performance.

His counsel further argued that the journalist had merely outlined the contents of a notification issued by the relevant authorities.

After hearing arguments from both sides, the court granted the NCCIA three-day physical remand of Ghauri for further investigation.