ISLAMABAD – A session court on Tuesday denied FIA’s request for further physical remand for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Raoof Hasan and other suspects involved in an anti-state propaganda case, an sent them to jail on 14-day judicial remand.
The FIA had produced Hassan before the court of District and Sessions Judge Shafiq Bhatti and sought five days further physical remand of Raoof Hassan.
The prosecutor representing the FIA said that all the accused were in communication with each other. He asked the court to grant further physical remand of the accused.
However, the court rejected the plea.
Hasan, who was arrested last Monday, was initially placed on a two-day remand, followed by a three-day extension, and then another two-day remand for further investigation.
Hasan previously informed the court that the allegations against him were baseless.
The FIA has booked PTI’s information secretary and several media cell members for their alleged involvement in a digital media cell accused of running anti-Pakistan propaganda.
The FIR, filed by the FIA, claimed that PTI activist Ahmad Waqas Janjua revealed during questioning that he, along with the party’s leadership and media cell members, were involved in anti-state activities.
The charges against the 12 suspects including two women, fall under sections 9 (glorification of an offence), 10 (cyber-terrorism), and 11 (hate speech) of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca).
The suspects include Waqas, Hasan, Afaq Ahmed Alvi, Hameedullah, Rashid Mahmood, Zeeshan Farooq, Syed Osama, Mohammad Rizwan Afzal, Mohammad Rafiq, Syed Hamza, Farhat Khalid, and Iqra.