Daily Times

An Anti-terrorism Court (ATC) in Islamabad Thursday sent the owner and producer of a web channel on judicial remand to Adiala Jail in a case pertaining to airing of alleged anti-judiciary content, a private TV channel reported.

Hans Masroor, the owner of web channel Naya Pakistan, and Ahsan Saleem, the producer of the channel, were both arrested by Islamabad police and presented before the court.

This arrest was made in reference to an FIR lodged against former senator Faisal Raza Abidi, accusing him of using highly insulting and inappropriate language against the chief justice of Pakistan and the judiciary in an interview aired on the web channel.

The FIR, registered with the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) under the Prevention of Electronic Crime Act, 2016, refers to remarks made by the former senator during a programme titled Subah Subah Naya Pakistan aired on web channel Naya Pakistan on July 2, 2018. According to the FIR, during the course of his appearance on the show, the accused, with criminal intent and ulterior motives and without any lawful justification, used sarcastic, derogatory, disrespectful and defamatory language against the chief justice.

In the hearing, both the accused admitted to the charges levelled against them and were subsequently sent to jail on a judicial remand by ATC Judge Syed Kausar.

Published in Daily Times, October 19^th 2018.