JIT to grill PTI leaders in smear campaign case

In a recent development, the JIT has issued notices to senior PTI leaders and workers as part of an investigation into an alleged smear campaign on social media.

Those served with notices include Gohar Ali Khan, Salman Akram Raja, Rauf Hasan, Asad Qaiser, Syed Firdous Shamim Naqvi, Muhammad Hammad Azhar, Aun Abbas, Aliya Hamza, Sheikh Waqas Akram, Kanwal Shauzab, Asif Rasheed, Muhammad Arshad, Sibghat Ullah Virak, Azhar Mashwani, Muhammad Numan Afzal, Jibran Ilyas, Syed Salman Raza Zaidi, Zulfi Bukhari, Musa Virk, Ali Hasnain and others.

The federal government has constituted a JIT under Section 30 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016. The team, led by the Inspector General of Police ICT, Islamabad, is investigating whether the accused and their accomplices were involved in an organized effort to spread disorder in Pakistan through a malicious social media campaign.