A judicial magistrate on Wednesday approved a two-day physical remand for senior journalist Waheed Murad, placing him in the custody of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).
Murad was arrested from his home the previous night, where his mother-in-law, a cancer patient from Canada, was also present. He was presented before Magistrate Abbas Shah in Islamabad, facing an FIA case related to spreading false information.
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In court, Murad claimed he was handed over to the FIA only 20 minutes before the hearing. His lawyer, Hadi Ali, demanded access to the FIR, alleging mistreatment and stating that police forcibly entered his house and harassed his mother-in-law. Another defense lawyer, Imaan Mazari, informed the court of a petition against his alleged illegal detention.
The FIA prosecutor confirmed that Murad was arrested the previous night, arguing that he had shared content linked to a banned organization in Balochistan. They requested access to his mobile phone for further investigation into his social media activity.
Mazari questioned whether a prior notice was issued, while Ali condemned the arrest, calling it an attempt to intimidate journalists. Murad told the court he was detained at 3 a.m., blindfolded for hours, and only had his blindfold removed shortly before appearing before the judge.
The FIA has charged him under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), citing sections on glorification of an offense, cyber terrorism, malicious code, and related offenses.
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