PTI Leader Raoof Hasan sent to jail on judicial remand in anti-state propaganda case

PTI Leader Raoof Hasan and other suspects have been sent to jail on a 14-day judicial remand in the anti-state propaganda case by a court in the federal capital.

According to the media reports, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had presented PTI Leader Raoof Hasan before District and Sessions Judge Shafiq Bhatti, who rejected the agency’s request for a further five-day physical remand.

After being taken into custody on Monday, Hasan was placed on FIA remand for two days on Tuesday. Subsequently, the court granted an extension of three days for his physical remand, followed by a two-day remand to facilitate more investigation. During the hearing today, the FIA’s prosecutor stated that the organization had a “technical report” demonstrating that all of the accused, who were all part of the PTI’s media unit, were in communication with each other. The prosecution stated, “We need a further five-day remand to investigate,” at this point, defense attorney Ali Zafar objected to giving the FIA a further extension in the physical remand.

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Leading PTI lawyer Zafar told the court that Hasan was becoming worse after being placed on physical remand for seven days. The court directed the authorities to make sure he received medical treatment, and he should be permitted to have a medical examination. Hasan had told the court during the last session that the accusations made against him were “baseless”. The FIA has filed charges against PTI’s information secretary and several other media cell members for their alleged involvement in a digital media cell that disseminated propaganda critical of Pakistan.

According to the FIA’s FIR, Ahmad Waqas Janjua, a PTI activist, confessed to the party’s leadership and media cell members that he and other party members were engaged in suspected anti-state propaganda when the suspect was being questioned. Sections 9 (glorification of an offense), 10 (cyber-terrorism), and 11 (hate speech) of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) are among the allegations brought against the 12 suspects, two of whom are female.

The suspects are Waqas, PTI’s top leader Hasan, Afaq Ahmed Alvi, Hameedullah, Rashid Mahmood, Zeeshan Farooq, Syed Osama, Mohammad Rizwan Afzal, Mohammad Rafiq, Syed Hamza, Farhat Khalid, and Iqra.