A judicial magistrate in Karachi recently granted the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) a four-day physical remand of Iqrar-ul-Hassan. He is a famous journalist and the chief of ‘Awam Raj Tehreek’.
The agency presented him before the Judicial Magistrate Karachi East-I. They linked his arrest to FIR No. 101/2026. Authorities officially registered this FIR on October 10 under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), 2016, which the government amended in 2025.
NCCIA Arrests Iqrar-ul-Hassan Over Cybercrime Allegations
According to the FIR, the NCCIA accuses Iqrar of misusing his personal social media accounts. He allegedly used X, Instagram, and Facebook to share false, fabricated, anti-state, and defamatory content. Consequently, the agency claims this content intentionally aimed to instigate the general public against the state, its institutions, and its officials.
Furthermore, the case invokes Sections 9, 10, 20, 24, and 26-A of PECA. Investigators stated they examined his publicly accessible posts. They also preserved the disputed content as digital evidence.
However, courts have not yet established these allegations. The current remand order simply allows the NCCIA to keep him in custody for investigation. It does not determine his actual guilt.
Midnight Arrest & Procedural Violations
Authorities initially arrested Iqrar in Lahore’s Defence Housing Authority (DHA). Subsequently, they transported him to Karachi around 1:00 am. Following today’s court hearing, an NCCIA team took him back into custody. They quickly transferred him to the agency’s detention cell in Karachi.
Meanwhile, an X post highlighted several alleged procedural violations regarding this arrest. Specifically, the post labeled the FIR as completely unlawful. It noted that the agency followed no due process. The NCCIA conducted no prior inquiry before taking action. Moreover, officials never formally summoned Iqrar.
Additionally, the agency reportedly bypassed local authorities. The NCCIA executed the Lahore arrest without informing the Punjab Government, the Lahore police, or the local administration. Finally, the agency failed to obtain a required transitory remand from any Lahore court before moving him to a completely new jurisdiction.
