Daily Times

A senior journalist associated with an English-language daily was reportedly taken into custody from his home in Karachi’s DHA neighbourhood by Defence police on Friday evening, according to his family, friends and official sources.

Karachi police chief Additional Inspector General Ghulam Nabi Memon confirmed that Bilal Farooqui had been arrested by Defence police. He said Farooqi was ‘wanted in FIR No 613/2020 u/s 500/505 PPC of PS Defence, dated 9.9.2020’.

Earlier, a senior police officer, who requested anonymity, said that the FIR against Farooqi was lodged under sections 500 and 505 of the Pakistan Penal Code and sections 11 and 20 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca), 2016, on September 9 on the complaint of a private citizen.

Farooqi was reportedly taken into custody from his home by ‘two men in plainclothes accompanied by two policemen’. He said police later visited his home again and officials informed Farooqi’s wife that he had been detained at a police station in DHA. Police has also taken his phone into possession.

According to the contents of the FIR, the complainant, Javed Khan, a resident of Majeed Colony in Landhi, said that he is a machine operator at a factory in the Landhi area. He said he visited a restaurant in DHA Phase-II Extension on Sept 9 where he checked his Facebook and Twitter accounts and found ‘highly objectionable material’ shared by Farooqi on the two platforms. The complainant claimed that ‘highly provocative posts’ had been shared by Farooqi against the Pakistan Army and that the same also contained material pertaining to religious hatred.

Khan alleged that Farooqi had defamed the Pakistan Army and such social media posts may be used by hostile elements for their ‘nefarious designs’. Therefore, legal action should be taken against him, he said.