Islamabad, Jan 8 (NationPress) A magistrate in Pakistan has remanded journalist Muhammad Aslam Shah to prison following his recent arrest by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA). This occurred a day after his detention in connection with a case filed under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) 2025, as reported by local media on Thursday.

The complaint against Shah was lodged on December 29 by Tabish Raza Husnain, identified as an official of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC). He accused Shah under Section 20 (offences against the dignity of a natural person) and Section 24 (cyberstalking) of Peca, as highlighted by Pakistan's prominent daily, Dawn.

Upon his presentation to the judicial magistrate (South) by the NCCIA on Wednesday, the agency sought custody for further questioning for a duration of 14 days. However, the magistrate opted to send Shah to prison on judicial remand due to the investigating officer's inability to adequately convince the court.

In the First Information Report (FIR), the complainant alleged that Shah was engaging in a campaign of defamation against him and Colonel Anjum, targeting them on social media platforms. Husnain claimed that Shah's actions involved abusive language that inflicted distress and tarnished his reputation.

In November, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) voiced serious concerns regarding the targeted killings of journalists, the misuse of Peca to file cases against media practitioners, and ongoing harassment from both state and non-state actors in Pakistan. This revelation was made during discussions between a delegation from the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) and IFJ leaders at the Syndicat National des Journalistes (SNJ) headquarters in Paris, as reported by local media.

The IFJ officials urged the President, Prime Minister, and Chief Justice of Pakistan to urgently address the issues facing journalists, cautioning that a lack of action could prompt a request for United Nations intervention, according to Dawn.

During the meeting, the PFUJ delegation, which included Secretary General Shakeel Ahmed, President of the Rawalpindi-Islamabad Union of Journalists Tariq Usmani, and Head of the Foreign Committee Waseem Shahzad Qadri, briefed the IFJ leaders on the dire situation confronting journalists in Pakistan.

In a joint statement, Pradalie and Bellanger condemned the unlawful actions against journalists, demanding the immediate withdrawal of cases filed under Peca, the establishment of strong legislation to safeguard journalists' rights, and legal consequences for those responsible for targeted killings. They also criticized the undeclared censorship enforced by government bodies, labeling it as unconstitutional and undemocratic.

Expressing alarm over the forced layoffs of media personnel, the IFJ leaders appealed to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to implement urgent and effective legislation to put an end to what they described as the “economic massacre” of journalists in Pakistan. The IFJ pledged full support to the PFUJ and announced that this issue would be on the agenda for the forthcoming IFJ Congress.