ISLAMABAD: A local court on Saturday rejected the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency’s (NCCIA) request for the physical remand of journalist Fakharur Rehman and instead sent him to jail on judicial remand.

Rehman was arrested a day earlier under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca). According to an NCCIA first information report (FIR) dated April 20, the journalist was one of the nine accused of spreading “false and misleading information against state institutions” through the social media platform X.

On Saturday, Rehman was produced before the court of District Magistrate Yasir Mahmood.

During the hearing, defence counsel Ahad Khokhar argued that the prosecution had failed to clearly establish the extent of Rehman’s alleged role.

He maintained that the journalist had merely quoted statements made by a religious scholar in a post on X and had not expressed any personal opinion.

The defence further contended that thousands of social media users had shared the video in question, wondering why no action had been taken against the original speaker.

The lawyer also asked whether the investigation officer had recorded the statement of the cleric whose remarks were being referenced.

Khokhar informed the court that Rehman had already responded to the NCCIA notice issued on April 14, asserting that he had not spread any false information. He added that the journalist had been cooperating with investigators and was available whenever required.

The defence opposed physical remand, noting that the journalist’s mobile phone had already been taken into custody and no further recovery was pending. He requested the court to discharge his client from the case.

On the other hand, the NCCIA prosecutor argued that Rehman had admitted ownership of the social media post but had not provided the password to his mobile phone. The agency maintained that further examination of the device was necessary and sought his physical remand for that purpose.

After hearing arguments from both sides, the court rejected the request for physical remand and ordered that Rehman be sent to jail on judicial remand.

The NCCIA had registered the FIR under Section 20 (offences against the dignity of a natural person) and 26-A (dissemination of false and fake information) of Peca.

The FIR, a copy of which is available with Dawn, stated that Rehman, journalist Sabir Shakir, anchorperson Moeed Pirzada, PTI’s Jibran Ilyas, Rizwan Ahmed Khan, Syed Haider Raza Mehdi, Adil Farooq Raja and Aqil Hussain allegedly “with malafide intention and ulterior motives knowingly disseminated/propagated fake, false, misleading and misinterpreted information leading to hatred against the government functionaries”.

It contended that such content was “likely to cause fear, panic, unrest and disorder in the general public and society”. The complaint added that a review of the nominated people’s social media activities revealed a “deliberate pattern of conduct involving mocking, ridiculing, and maligning state institutions”.

The controversial Peca law was last amended in January 2025 amid roaring opposition from media bodies.

Earlier this month, speakers at a programme organised in Karachi described Peca as a “black law”, alleging that its purpose was to suppress journalism and undermine freedom of expression.

Last month, the Senate Standing Committee on Information and Broa­d­casting discussed in detail the issue of extensive lodging of cases under Peca and decided to form a subcommittee to examine the matter.

In its annual report for 2025, the Council of Pakistan Newspaper Editors (CPNE) raised serious concerns over the state of media freedom in the country, saying that journalists and media organisations faced punitive actions.