Case Update Status

A judicial magistrate on Feb 3 discharged a case registered against Imran Riaz Khan by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), and ordered his immediate release.

Summary of Case

"Anchorperson Imran Riaz Khan has been arrested by the cybercrime wing of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) from the Allama Iqbal International Airport Lahore when he was trying to travel to UAE on Thursday, February 2, 2023. Khan is in FIA’s custody and will be produced before FIA court today. Earlier, Imran Riaz Khan in a series of tweets said he was informed by authorities that his name was “blacklisted” and he can’t leave the country. The anchorperson said his luggage was seized and was asked to wait. Khan has been arrested on charges of “hate speech” and making a “violence-inducing statement” aimed at creating “a rift between the general public and the state institutions”, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) said, daily Dawn reported. The FIA registered the first information report under sections 11 (electronic forgery), 20 (malicious code) and 24 (legal recognition of offences committed in relation to information system) of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes (Peca) 2016. Likewise, sections 131/109 (incitement to mutiny), 500 (punishment for defamation) and 505 (public mischief) of the Pakistan Penal Code have also been added to the FIR. According to the FIR Khan was “found involved in publicly making a hate speech at a conference which falls under the territorial jurisdiction of FIA cyber crime cell”. The complaint went on to say that the speech was further publicly shared on social media platforms nationally and internationally. The contents of Khan’s video, as mentioned in the FIR, questioned Gen Bajwa’s pledge for the military to remain apolitical in his final speech as army chief. The agency pointed out that it had been found “that the same mischievous video of the alleged person was publicly shared and a part of that video was posted by a Twitter user, which was retweeted by Imran Riaz Khan”. The FIR said the nexus of “retweeting the mischievous video by the alleged person from the Twitter handlers is technically verified [by the agency].” The FIA report said such a “violence-inducing statement made intentionally and made public by Imran Riaz Khan may cause, or is likely to cause, fear or alarm to the public or to any section of the public whereby any person may be induced to commit an offence against the state or against the public tranquillity or incite or likely to incite any class or community or person to commit any offence against any other class or community on the grounds of spreading anarchy, division in the social fabric against the state and the state institutions, bloodshed, extremism, terrorism, feelings of enmity, hatred between the people of Pakistan: It said the consequences of such mischievous statements rendered “dire consequences both nationally and internationally for the state of Pakistan”. The FIA said such intimidating/threatening statements were a mischievous act of subversion to create a rift between the general public and the state institutions. “Prima facie, the alleged person namely Imran Riaz has committed offences u/s 11, 20, 24 of PECA 2016 R/w 131, 500, 505, 109 — PPC. Hence, a case may be registered against the accused while the role of other accomplices (if any) will be determined during the course of the investigation,” it added. Afzal Butt President of Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists strongly condemned the arrest of Khan. Butt in conversation with PPF said: “FIA violated its own rules, they did not issue any notice to Khan, Khan should be released immediately”. Following the arrest, various political leaders and journalists condemned the FIA’s action. "

Category of Incident

Arrest

ICCS Status

ICCS Divisions: 0803-Acts related to freedom of expression or control of expression

ICCS Group: 08039-Other acts related to freedom of expression or control of expression

ICCS Class: N/A

ICCS Crime: Acts against liberty

Reported By

Geo News

Date of incident

2

Month

February

Year

2023

Name of affected person

Imran Riaz Khan

Other affected persons

Not other person affected

Name of affected organization

Bol News

Other affected organizations

No other organization was affected

Action by

Federal Investigation Agency (FIA)

City

Lahore

Province

Punjab

Designation

Anchorperson

Professional category

Journalist

Age of victim

47

Marital Status

Compensation Details

Amount of compensation announced by government: No compensation announced

Date of compensation announcement by government: No compensation announced

Date of compensation paid by government: No compensation announced

Amount of compensation announced by others: No compensation announced

Date of compensation announced by others: No compensation announced

Date compensation paid by others: No compensation announced

FIR Details

Was FIR registered ?: Yes

Date of FIR:

FIR Details: FIR Number: 253/2022

Police station of FIR: FIA Cyber Crime Wing

Name of complainant: The state through Huzaifa Muneer, sub inspector FIA

Name of accused in FIR: Imran Riaz Khan

Court Details

Was case investigated ?: Yes

Court where case was presented: Court of judicial magistrate Lahore

Name of prosecuting lawyer: Mian Ali Ashfaq

Date of first court hearing:

Date of last court hearing:

Status of court case: Case Closed

Journalist Union Status

PFUJ

Afzal Butt President of Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists strongly condemned the arrest of Khan. Butt in conversation with PPF said: “FIA violated its own rules, they did not issue any notice to Khan, Khan should be released immediately”.

APNS

N/A

CPNE

PBA

N/A

Media Source Status

Media reports:

Condemn Status

Colleague of victim

Not required to contact

Employer organization

Not required to contact

Press Club Status

Press club 1: Not required to contact

Press club 2: N/A

Press club 3: N/A