Man arrested for comparing Tarnol Railway Crossing to Strait of Hormuz on social media

ISLAMABAD: Police have taken a citizen into custody after he allegedly posted a social media message comparing the Tarnol Railway Crossing to the Strait of Hormuz, according to a first information report.

The FIR was lodged on the complaint of Sub-inspector Shahid Asghar on behalf of the state. It was registered under Section 188, Section 341 and Section 511 of the Pakistan Penal Code.

According to the complaint, the accused was identified as Khurram Nazeer. The FIR said he shared a post on social media that read: "Tarnol Railway Crossing is no less than the Strait of Hormuz. If it is closed, all our problems will be resolved.

The post later spread widely on social media.

After seeing the post, police went to Tarnol Chowk and looked into the matter, the FIR said. During the inquiry, it emerged that Nazeer, a resident of Dhok Paracha in Islamabad, had shared the message.

The FIR further said that, in light of the prevailing security situation, the government had imposed Section 144 against the promotion and advertisements related to it. The citizen was taken into custody and that his mobile phone was checked, during which police found evidence of the social media post.

Security backdrop

The development has come at a time when extraordinary security arrangements are in place in Islamabad and Rawalpindi ahead of an expected second round of talks between the United States and Iran amid the war in the Middle East.

The FIR also referred to the broader security environment in which the case was registered. The Strait of Hormuz, a key global shipping route, has been virtually paralysed by the Middle East war.

Police action in the case was detailed in the FIR, a copy of which was available to Dawn. The document said the case was initiated by the state through the complainant police officer and linked the social media post to the restrictions already in force under Section 144.

No additional details were provided in the FIR about the timing of the arrest beyond the sequence described in the complaint, which said police first saw the post, then reached Tarnol Chowk, conducted an inquiry and subsequently detained the suspect.

The case centres on the alleged online post and the authorities’ view that it fell within the scope of restrictions imposed in the current security circumstances.