Karachi: On Friday, journalist Farhan Mallick was remanded into the custody of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for four days by a judicial magistrate. He faces charges related to uploading “anti-state” content on his YouTube channel, Raftar.
Mallick, who is the founder of Raftar media agency and a former news director at Samaa TV, was arrested a day earlier at the FIA’s Cyber Crime Reporting Centre. He is charged under several sections of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca), 2016, including:
Section 16: Unauthorized use of identity information.
Section 20: Offences against the dignity of a person.
Section 26-A: Dissemination of false or fake information, which was recently added to Peca, along with charges under:
Section 500: Defamation.
Section 109: Abetment.
The newly added Section 26-A of Peca addresses the spread of false information that can cause fear, panic, or unrest in the public. It carries a potential punishment of up to three years in prison, a fine of up to two million rupees, or both.
According to the FIR (First Information Report), the FIA began an investigation after receiving a report that Raftar was involved in a campaign aimed at targeting public figures by posting videos that were considered anti-state.
Mallick’s arrest has sparked concern among some journalists and media organizations about freedom of speech and press in Pakistan.