Islamabad, Jan 8 A Pakistani magistrate has sent journalist Muhammad Aslam Shah to prison on judicial remand a day after he was arrested by National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) in a case lodged under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) 2025, local media reported on Thursday.
The case was registered against Shah on December 29 after Tabish Raza Husnain, said to be an official of Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC), filed a complaint against him under Section 20 (offences against the dignity of a natural person) and Section 24 (cyberstalking) of Peca, Pakistan's leading daily Dawn reported.
The NCCIA presented the journalist before the judicial magistrate (South) on Wednesday and requested for his custody for questioning for 14 days. However, the magistrate sent Shah to prison on judicial remand after the investigating officer was unable to satisfy the court.
In the FIR, the complainant claimed that Shah was conducting "defamation propaganda" against him and his senior, Colonel Anjum, in social media groups. He also alleged that the journalist allegedly used abusive language, causing him distress and damage to his reputation.
In November, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) had expressed concerns over targetted killings of journalists, misuse of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) to register cases against media professionals, undeclared censorship, harassment by state and non-state actors, forced layoffs, and non-payment of salaries in Pakistan, local media reported.
The concern was raised when a delegation from the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) held talks with IFJ President Dominique Pradalie and Secretary General Anthony Bellanger at the Syndicat National des Journalistes (SNJ) headquarters in Paris, according to a statement. The meeting was held to address the growing crisis faced by journalists in Pakistan.
The IFJ leaders requested Pakistan’s President, Prime Minister and top judge to take immediate notice of the problems faced by the journalists and warned that authorities' inaction could lead to a request to the United Nations for intervention, Dawn reported.
During the meeting, the PFUJ delegation, including Secretary General Shakeel Ahmed, Rawalpindi-Islamabad Union of Journalists President Tariq Usmani, and Foreign Committee Head Waseem Shahzad Qadri, informed the IFJ leaders about the situation faced by journalists in Pakistan.
In a joint statement, Pradalie and Bellanger slammed "unlawful" actions against journalists and called for the immediate withdrawal of Peca-based cases, robust legislation to protect the rights of journalists and emphasised the need to take legal action against those behind the targeted killings. They also slammed the "undeclared censorship" imposed by government institutions, calling it "unconstitutional and undemocratic."
Expressing concern over forced layoffs of media professionals, the IFJ leaders requested Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to introduce urgent and robust legislation to stop what they termed as the “economic massacre” of journalists in Pakistan. The IFJ expressed full support for PFUJ and stated that the issue will be included in the agenda of the upcoming IFJ Congress.
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