Court issues notice to FIA on journalist Murad's plea against physical remand

A district and sessions court in Islamabad on Thursday served a notice to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on senior journalist Waheed Murad’s plea seeking the annulment of the judicial magistrate's physical remand order.

A judicial magistrate, a day earlier, approved a two-day physical remand for the senior journalist and handed him over to the FIA.

Murad — who was taken into custody under the relevant sections of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) earlier this week from his residence where his mother-in-law was also residing — was presented before Magistrate Abbas Shah's court in Islamabad after being named in an FIA case related to spreading fake news.

At the outset of today’s hearing, Advocate Imaan Mazari, his counsel, pleaded with the court to declare the judicial magistrate's order null and void and send his client to jail on judicial remand.

At this, the judge remarked that she should knock doors of the high court against the magistrate’s order. Mazari argued that there was precedent that the sessions court heard appeals against the magistrate’s order.

Meanwhile, the court issued a notice to the FIA and sought the agency’s reply in this regard by tomorrow morning.

During the previous hearing, the prosecution argued that Murad had shared a post related to a banned organisation in Balochistan and that further investigation was required regarding his social media accounts. They also requested the recovery of his mobile phone.

The FIA has registered a case against him under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA). The sections include 9 (glorification of an offence), 10 (cyber terrorism), 20 (malicious code), and 26.

Petition

Earlier, Murad's mother-in-law filed a petition for the missing journalist's recovery via Advocates Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha. The interior secretary, defence secretary, Islamabad inspector general of police, and the station house officer (SHO) of Karachi Company police station have been named as respondents in the plea.

According to the petition, individuals dressed in black uniforms arrived at their home in Sector G-8 at 2am, and two police vehicles were also seen accompanying them.

The petition alleges that the men in black uniforms forcibly took Murad away. It also states that those who entered the house misbehaved with the family.

A complaint was lodged at the Karachi Company police station, but no FIR was registered. The petition requests an immediate order for the recovery of Murad and legal action against those involved in his unlawful abduction.