A sessions court in Lahore on Friday granted interim pre-arrest bail to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Member of the Provincial Assembly (MPA) Saqib Chadhar in a harassment case involving actor Momina Iqbal and restrained authorities from arresting him until June 24.
Additional Sessions Judge Irfan Ahmed Sheikh approved the interim bail after hearing arguments from both sides. Chadhar was represented by Advocate Mian Ali Ashfaq.
The case was registered on Thursday by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) on a complaint filed by Iqbal. According to the First Information Report (FIR), Chadhar and his wife were accused of engaging in a sustained campaign of cyber harassment, stalking, intimidation and blackmail against the actor.
The FIR alleged that after Iqbal rejected a marriage proposal from Chadhar, she was subjected to repeated threats, attempts to access her private data and blackmail involving alleged private videos. It further claimed that the accused sought to damage her personal and professional reputation and interfere with her marriage plans.
According to the complaint, the accused and their associates carried out a coordinated campaign of cyber harassment, criminal intimidation, unlawful surveillance and defamation targeting both Iqbal and her family.
The FIR also alleged that an explicit video of the complainant was shared without her consent and was later recovered during the investigation. As part of the inquiry, investigators seized digital devices and storage media for forensic examination.
Authorities said a technical analysis of the complainant’s mobile phone uncovered threatening and derogatory messages. The FIR further alleged that messages containing threats and abusive language were sent from devices linked to the accused.
Investigators also alleged that the accused obtained the complainant’s call data records (CDRs) without authorisation and used the information to harass and intimidate her. The FIR stated that devices submitted by the accused showed signs of data deletion prior to forensic examination, although investigators said communications and other evidence were later recovered from seized digital media.
The FIR concluded that the accused had prima facie committed offences by unlawfully accessing, copying and sharing digital data, distributing explicit content without consent, issuing life threats and attempting to destroy or conceal digital evidence. It added that the role of other alleged associates would be determined during the course of the investigation.
The case was registered under multiple provisions of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), 2016, as amended in 2025, as well as several sections of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).
Under Sections 3 and 4 of PECA, the allegations related to unauthorised access to information systems and interference with data or information systems. Sections 21(b) and 21(c) pertained to offences against the dignity of a natural person and the dissemination of false or obscene information intended to harm or intimidate the victim.
Section 24(d) related to cyberstalking and repeated electronic harassment, while Section 506 of the PPC covered allegations of criminal intimidation and death threats. Section 201 PPC pertained to allegations of destroying evidence or providing false information to shield offenders, including the alleged deletion of digital data before forensic analysis.
The FIR also invoked Sections 34 and 109 of the PPC, which relate to common intention and abetment, alleging the coordinated involvement of multiple individuals in the commission of the alleged offences.