YouTuber Rajab Butt, TikToker Nadeem Mubarak get interim bail

LAHORE: A Lahore district and sessions court has granted interim bail to Pakistani YouTuber Rajab Butt and TikToker Nadeem Mubarak aka Nani wala in a case related to the promotion of gambling apps.

Additional Sessions Judge Mansoor Ali Qureshi heard the interim bail pleas of both social media personalities. Barrister Mian Ali Ashfaq filed the bail applications of Rajab Butt and Nadeem Mubarak.

The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has registered cases against several TikTokers and youTubers including Rajab Butt and Nadeem Mubarak, alleging that they promoted gambling applications.

Their lawyers argued that the accused were willing to join the investigation to prove their innocence.

The judge granted pre-arrest interim bail to Rajab Butt and Nadeem Mubarak and directed the NCCIA not to arrest them until January 6.

The court also instructed both accused to cooperate with the investigation until the next hearing.

The development comes days after the Islamabad High Court granted 10-day protective bail to Rajab Butt and Nadeem Mubarak on petitions filed by their family members.

Subsequently, both accused filed separate bail applications before the Lahore sessions court.

Background of the Cases

According to official records, both the social media personalities have been nominated in multiple FIRs registered under various cybercrime provisions.

The allegations include operating or promoting gambling applications, misuse of digital platforms, and online harassment.

The FIA issued multiple notices; however, progress in the investigations remained limited due to the accused being abroad.

In September this year, Rajab Butt was nominated by the NCCIA in a case for allegedly promoting gambling apps on social media.

Nadeem Mubarak was also booked by the NCCIA for promoting gambling apps. However, he was arrested in September after displaying a fake registration number, ‘IK-804’, on his vehicle.

Police said that he failed to give a satisfactory explanation when questioned. The number is allegedly the prisoner number assigned to former prime minister Imran Khan, who is currently incarcerated.

Earlier in March this year, a case was also registered against Rajab Butt under blasphemy and cybercrime laws over alleged “religious unrest” linked to the launch of his perfume brand.

Rajab Butt had introduced a perfume brand named “295”, a reference to Pakistan Penal Code provisions related to blasphemy.

In December 2024, the YouTuber also faced legal trouble after being arrested for keeping a lion cub and weapons at his residence.

In January 2025, he admitted that keeping a wild animal without proper documentation was a legal violation, stating that the cub had been given to him as a wedding gift.

He later assured the court that he would post videos promoting animal rights for one year, following which he was granted bail.