KARACHI – Journalist Farhan Malik, arrested under the Pakistan Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) , has been granted bail.
A Sessions Judge East approved Farhan Malik’s bail in the case registered under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA).
The court directed Farhan Malik to submit a surety bond of Rs. 100,000.
On March 26, A judicial magistrate in Malir granted a five-day physical remand of journalist Farhan Malik to Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in another case of money laundering.
According to the FIR submitted by the FIA, a raid was conducted at a call center in Gulshan-e-Iqbal on March 25 which resulted in the arrest of two suspects,Athar Hussain and Hassan Najeeb.
The FIR alleged that the arrested individuals were involved in fraud against foreigners and were getting their confidential data through software illegally. It further states that the suspects were engaged in fraud and cheating. The FIA said that the arrested suspects claimed that they were operating under the instructions of Farhan Gohar Malik. Farhan Malik’s counsel opposed the FIA’s plea for the physical remand.
After hearing the both sides, the court approved a five-day physical remand of Farhan Malik in the second case and handed him over to FIA custody.
Speaking to the media, Farhan Malik’s lawyer Moeez Jaffery termed the case completely baseless. He claimed that when the journalist was to be presented for the remand yesterday, it was deliberately delayed, and during this delay, a new FIR was registered at 9am, naming two individuals.
“This case is fabricated,” Jaffery asserted. An FIR was registered in a single day just to justify Farhan Malik’s arrest. When the court rejected the FIA’s remand extension request, a false case was filed against him.
He further alleged that the FIA violated court orders by keeping Farhan Malik in their custody instead of transferring him to jail as directed.
“Legally, after being sent to jail, the authorities must be notified before making a new arrest, which was not done,” he added.
Jaffery also claimed that Farhan Malik’s family searched multiple jails but could not find him in any of them, accusing the FIA of misusing its authority.
