LAHORE: A Canadian national Pakistani PhD scholar has approached a judicial magistrate seeking post-arrest bail in a cyber crime case registered by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA).

Hamza Ahmad Khan, a resident of Karachi, and currently on judicial remand at Camp Jail, Lahore, filed his bail petition through Advocate Asad Jamal.

The NCCIA registered the case against him under Sections 20, 24, and 26-A of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016 (Peca).

In his petition, the applicant alleged that he was abducted on the night between Feb 18 and 19, while travelling in a cab in Lahore.

The petitioner claims that the cyber crime FIR against him was registered a day later on Feb 21, with ‘malafide intentions’ to conceal the alleged abduction incident.

The bail petition contends that the sequence of events raises doubts about the legality and transparency of the investigation against the petitioner.

It argues that there is no direct or corroborative evidence linking the petitioner to the alleged offence.

The magistrate is likely to hear the bail petition on Wednesday (today).

According to the FIR, during the course of inquiry, it was verified that Hamza was uploading “derogatory posts against the state functionaries and state institutions with the intention to harm the reputation of the state functionaries”.

It further says that the suspect was posting derogatory content to “defame and malign the constitutional and political leadership of Pakistan, incite hatred and undermine the integrity of the state.”

Published in Dawn, February 25th, 2026