Lahore court orders immediate release of TV anchor Imran Riaz Khan

• Lahore court dismisses case against senior anchorperson.
• He was arraigned in court of Judicial Magistrate Ghulam Murtaza Virk.
• Khan was arrested by FIA at Allama Iqbal International Airport. 

A local court in Lahore on Friday dismissed anchorperson Imran Riaz Khan, who is a critic of the incumbent government and strong supporter of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), from a case relating to cybercrime and ordered his immediate release.

Earlier today, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) apprehended the anchorperson at the Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore.

The FIA arraigned Khan in the court of Judicial Magistrate Ghulam Murtaza Virk and sought a 14-day physical remand of the suspect.

During the course of the proceedings, the TV anchorperson’s counsel opposed the FIA’s request and pleaded with the court to dismiss the case against his client.

Khan was arrested on Thursday — the same day Awami Muslim League (AML) Chief Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, an ally of PTI, was nabbed by the Islamabad Police. Last month, PTI Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhry was also taken into custody in a sedition case.

This is not the first time that the FIA has stopped the anchorperson from boarding his flight.

In July 2022, authorities offloaded Khan from a Dubai-bound flight.

Back then, immigration sources had shared that the anchorperson — who was booked in several cases including sedition — was offloaded as his name was on the black list.