Karachi Court Rejects Journalist Farhan Mallick’s Bail Plea in PECA Case
KARACHI: A district and sessions court in Karachi has denied bail to journalist Farhan Mallick in a case related to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA).
The Judicial Magistrate (East) presided over the hearing, where Mallick, accused of sharing anti-state content, sought bail.
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had arrested him on March 20, alleging that he violated PECA and was involved in defamation.
The PECA law, which was recently amended, has been widely criticized by journalist associations, who argue that it is being used to suppress press freedom and intimidate media professionals.
Mallick was booked under multiple sections of PECA, along with provisions of the Pakistan Penal Code, including Section 190 (punishment of abetment if the act abetted is committed and no specific penalty is provided) and Section 500 (punishment for defamation).
According to the FIR, Mallick, formerly the director of news at a private television channel and currently running a YouTube channel, was allegedly responsible for spreading anti-state content.
The FIR also stated that an initial technical analysis of his YouTube channel indicated his involvement in creating and circulating fake news and content aimed at inciting the public against state institutions.
It further alleged that his actions damaged the reputation of public institutions at an international level.
A day before the court hearing, Mallick’s YouTube channel administration claimed that the FIA had raided his office, confiscating his computer and USB drive. They denounced the raid as an assault on press freedom rather than a routine investigation.
On March 25, the court rejected the FIA’s request for an extension of Mallick’s physical remand and instead sent him to jail on judicial remand.
Mallick is not the only individual to be arrested under the amended PECA law. Just a day before his detention, Rawalpindi Police registered the first case under the new PECA amendments against a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) activist, Muhammad Rehan, for allegedly spreading misinformation and propaganda on social media.
