Iqrar's remand extended, discharge plea rejected

KARACHI:

A judicial magistrate east has rejected a plea seeking the discharge of Awam Raj Party chief Iqrar-ul-Hassan in a case involving alleged anti-state content and extended his physical remand by two days.

The court issued a written order on the proceedings held on Saturday.

According to the order, the defence counsel argued that the statements made in the video were being discussed across the country and that its contents did not constitute an offence under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA).

The counsel also raised objections over the date of the arrest and the alleged failure to obtain permission from the relevant home department.

The court observed that the fact that a statement was widely discussed did not justify the dissemination of hate speech.

It further ruled that the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), being a federal institution, had the authority to take action throughout the country. The objections raised by the defence could be examined during the trial, it added.

According to the court order, the investigation record showed that permission had been obtained from the relevant court in Lahore before the suspect's arrest.