FIA barred from arresting journalist

ISLAMABAD:

An Islamabad additional district and sessions judge (ADSJ) has barred the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) from arresting a journalist in a case filed under the cybercrime act.

Journalist Harmeet Singh appeared before the court alongside his counsel, Beena Shahid. The court accepted his bail against a surety bond of Rs20,000 and sought a response from the FIA by December 21.

The court further directed the journalist to cooperate with the investigation. Singh is accused of sharing baseless information on social media.

The FIA had initiated action against over 150 individuals - including journalists, vloggers and anchorperson Harmeet Singh - for allegedly promoting a false narrative against state institutions, particularly the security agencies, over the Nov 26 crackdown on PTI supporters in Islamabad.