Court Grants Four-Day Remand Of Iqrar Ul Hassan

A judicial magistrate in Karachi has granted the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency four-day physical remand of Pakistan Awam Raj Tehreek chief Iqrar ul Hassan in a cybercrime case. The order was issued after the investigating officer produced him before the court and sought custody for further inquiry.

Iqrar ul Hassan was allegedly taken from his residence in Lahore in the early hours of Monday and later booked in a case involving accusations of spreading false, fabricated, anti-state and defamatory content. Investigators alleged that the content was intended to provoke the public against the state, its institutions and officials.

The investigating officer requested 14 days of physical remand, arguing that custody was needed to recover mobile phones, laptops, SIMs and other digital devices allegedly used for creating, editing, uploading and posting the disputed material. The officer also said investigators needed to examine media storage and other digital evidence linked to the case.

The court granted four days of physical remand instead of the full period requested by investigators. The magistrate directed the investigating officer to produce Iqrar ul Hassan again on October 17 after completion of the remand period.

During the proceedings, the suspect did not complain of mistreatment in custody when asked by the court. The magistrate also allowed an application seeking permission for his legal team to meet him in custody for the purpose of obtaining signatures on a power of attorney.

Investigators said they also wanted to establish control and operation of the suspect’s social media accounts, including accounts on X, Instagram and Facebook. They said email addresses, linked mobile numbers and recovery details would be examined after receiving information from service providers.

The officer further said the role of any other people involved in producing, editing or spreading the disputed content would be investigated. The probe may also examine whether any monetisation, revenue or other financial benefit was linked to the online activity mentioned in the case.

The case has wider implications for digital speech, cybercrime enforcement and political communication in Pakistan. The next stage will depend on the recovery of digital material, account verification, further investigation by authorities and the court’s review when the remand period ends.