Islamabad court grants Fakharur Rehman post-arrest bail in Peca case

ISLAMABAD: A judicial magistrate on Monday granted post-arrest bail to senior journalist Fakharur Rehman, who had been arrested over the weekend by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) in a case registered under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca).

According to an NCCIA first information report dated April 20, Rehman was among nine people accused of spreading false and misleading information against state institutions through the social media platform X.

The agency registered the case under Section 20 of Peca, which deals with offences against the dignity of a natural person, and Section 26-A, which concerns dissemination of false and fake information.

Arguments before the court

During Monday’s hearing, Barrister Ahad Khokhar appeared for the journalist and told the court that, according to the NCCIA report, his client’s mobile phone had already been recovered.

The defence also argued that Rehman was a senior citizen who regularly used medication. Khokhar further submitted that his client had not expressed any personal opinion and had only shared a statement attributed to a religious figure.

The lawyer also told the court that the FIR itself did not clearly spell out the role of the accused. Calling the case baseless, the defence requested the court to allow the bail plea.

The prosecution opposed the request, arguing that journalism was a sacred profession and carried significant responsibility.

After hearing both sides, the court reserved its decision and later accepted the post-arrest bail application. The court directed Rehman to furnish surety bonds worth Rs50,000.

Details in the FIR

The FIR registered by the NCCIA said Rehman, journalist Sabir Shakir, anchorperson Moeed Pirzada, PTI’s Jibran Ilyas, Rizwan Ahmed Khan, Syed Haider Raza Mehdi, Adil Farooq Raja and Aqil Hussain had allegedly “with malafide intention and ulterior motives knowingly disseminated/propagated fake, false, misleading and misinterpreted information leading to hatred against government functionaries”.

The complaint further stated that the material in question was “likely to cause fear, panic, unrest and disorder among the general public and in society.

It also said that a review of the social media activity of the nominated individuals showed a deliberate pattern of conduct involving mocking, ridiculing and maligning state institutions.

Rehman’s arrest and subsequent bail came in connection with the same Peca case cited by the NCCIA in its FIR dated April 20.