An additional sessions court of Lahore on Wednesday dismissed the pre-arrest bail application of Haseeb Sajjad Khan, host of a YouTube channel, in a case involving allegations of cyber defamation and harassment.
The case, registered at the FIA Cyber Crime Wing, Lahore, stems from a controversial interview Khan conducted with co-accused Dr Omar Adil.
During the interview, Adil allegedly made derogatory remarks against the complainant, Ayesha Chaudhry.
The interview, later uploaded to Khan's channel, gained widespread attention online, prompting Chaudhry to lodge a complaint under Sections 21 and 24 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016 - pertaining to cyber defamation - as well as Sections 509 (insulting the modesty of a woman) and 109 (abetment) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).
Khan's counsel, Advocate Zain Qureshi, argued that his client merely facilitated the interview and openly criticised Adil's offensive remarks, claiming that Khan bore no direct responsibility for the defamatory content.
However, Judge Muhammad Suleman Ghumman ruled that Khan, by choosing to upload and promote the video, played a role in disseminating the content.
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