KARACHI – A documentary by Farhan Mallick exploded across newsrooms and social media timelines and in political circles, and ended up with a case filed under Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) at Berot Police Station in Hub, Balochistan.
Prominent journalist Farhan Mallick, journalist Usama Altaf, AABAD Chairman Hasan Bakhshi, and the infamous retired SSP Rao Anwar were named in the case.
The case was lodged by Ali Asghar Zehri, the attorney for Balochistan’s provincial minister Ali Hasan Brohi, accusing individuals of running an organized media campaign against the minister.
According to the case3, the accused allegedly used YouTube show “System” to “malign and target an elected representative” which according to complainant is serious criminal offense. Other names mentioned in case include Syed Mumtaz Alam, Syed Kazim Rizvi, Fareed Dallari, and others linked to the production.
Farhan Mallick hits back strongly, calling this FIR “bogus, absurd, and politically motivated attempt” to silence dissent voices. He said the news outlet was being deliberately targeted for its recent explosive documentary on Karachi’s land mafia, which it claims is supported by official documents exposing the deep-rooted and organized corruption in the city’s property networks.
Earlier this year, Farhan was released from Malir District Prison after being granted bail in two FIA cases one over alleged “anti-state” YouTube content and another for data theft through spoofing.
A sessions court ruled that the alleged videos were posted before amendments to the PECA 2016 law and did not warrant continued detention. His lawyer argued the cases were baseless and politically motivated, while the prosecution opposed bail.
Journalist Farhan Mallick arrested under PECA act over ‘hateful’ YouTube content
