Anchor Iqrarul Hassan Granted Bail in Karachi PECA Case

A Karachi court granted bail to television anchorperson Iqrarul Hassan on Saturday in a cybercrime case concerning content allegedly shared through his official social media accounts. His lawyer, Advocate Ahmad Masood, confirmed the decision following proceedings before an East district judicial magistrate.

Judicial Magistrate Gulraiz Memon approved Hassan’s release against surety bonds worth Rs200,000. The anchorperson had been held in judicial custody in a case registered by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency under multiple provisions of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act.

The agency has alleged that Hassan disseminated material that was anti-state, false and defamatory through his social media platforms. These remain allegations before the court, and the reported bail order does not constitute a final determination of the charges against him.

During Saturday’s hearing, the cybercrime agency informed the magistrate that it did not require Hassan for any further investigation. The agency said, however, that it was still waiting for a forensic report connected to the case.

Advocate Masood said the investigation report, commonly referred to as the challan, had already been submitted before the court. He added that investigators had taken Hassan’s electronic devices into their possession as part of the evidence-gathering process.

The latest order follows an earlier unsuccessful attempt to secure bail. On October 22, the same magistrate dismissed Hassan’s application after the investigating agency argued that important aspects of the case still required examination, including forensic analysis of seized devices and records from other government departments.

The defence subsequently challenged that rejection before a sessions court. The sessions court observed that a fresh application could be submitted to the trial court after the charge sheet was filed, creating the procedural basis for the latest bail request to be considered.

The case has involved several stages of custody. Hassan was produced before the magistrate on October 17 after completing an initial four-day physical remand. The agency requested another 10 days for questioning, but the court allowed only two additional days. On October 19, he was sent to prison on an eight-day judicial remand.

With bail now approved, the criminal proceedings themselves remain unresolved. The court will continue to consider the submitted charge sheet, the awaited forensic findings and the evidence collected by investigators before reaching any decision on the allegations.