ISLAMABAD – Cyber Crime officials of Federal Investigation Agency arrested TV journalist and founder of YouTube channel Raftar, over offensive and triggering content of videos.
The action comes, months after FIA summoned Farhan Mallick and officials of another digital platform. FIA Cyber Crime officials said Raftar’s clips put the military establishment in bad light.
The family of Pakistani journalists said he visited FIA office for meeting but was held without explanation. The son of the detained journalist took to social media, saying FIA harassed his father and his team the previous evening, and summoned him for questioning.
The family members raised concerns over lack of transparency, saying no formal charges or arrest documents had been provided, and they had not been informed about the specific reasons behind his detention.
The YouTube channel with over half million followers denounced FIA’s actions in public statement, criticizing lack of transparency and alleging harassment of their team.
Meanwhile, journalist and rights activists condemned the arrest. Human Rights Commission of Pakistan demanded Mallick’s immediate release and called for a transparent investigation into the matter. They urged the government to check the overreach of agencies like the FIA and protect freedom of expression, as guaranteed under Pakistan’s Constitution.
Mallick faced issues with Federal Investigators. He was held at Karachi Airport, where his passport and phone were confiscated without explanation. He later had to file a petition to have his name removed from a list that led to his detention, describing the entire incident as an arbitrary violation of his rights.
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