New York, Sep 10 (IANS): A leading international press freedom group has called on the Pakistani authorities to immediately release independent journalist Muhammad Bilal Ghauri and drop the cybercrime case filed against him over his commentary on the appointment of a senior counterterrorism official.
The remarks came after a judicial magistrate in Islamabad on Monday approved a request from the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) for a three-day physical remand of journalist Ghauri in a case registered under Pakistan’s Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA).
Citing the First Information Report (FIR), Pakistani daily Dawn reported that Ghauri allegedly uploaded and circulated content related to the appointment of the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) head on September 5.
“Prima facie, the material allegedly contained assertions and allegations concerning the process and circumstances relating to the appointment of the NACTA national coordinator,” the FIR stated.
Describing Ghauri’s detention as an alarming attack on press freedom in Pakistan, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said the incident comes amid growing use of the PECA and other cybercrime laws by authorities against journalists and online commentators.
According to CPJ, his detention followed commentary posted on his social media platform X about the circumstances surrounding the appointment of Major General Faisal Naseer as national coordinator of NACTA.
The organisation said Ghauri, who covers news through his popular YouTube channel, was reported missing by his family on September 6 after disappearing from the ground-floor office of his home in Islamabad.
Authorities later confirmed that he had been detained by the NCCIA, which launched a criminal investigation against him for allegedly violating PECA.
“Detaining journalist Muhammad Bilal Ghauri for his commentary on the appointment of a public official to a national security agency is a disturbing attack on press freedom in Pakistan. Pakistani authorities should release Ghauri immediately, drop the case against him, and ensure that journalists can scrutinize state institutions without fear of reprisal, said CPJ’s Afghanistan Pakistan representative Waliullah Rahmani.
Highlighting that Ghauri has faced scrutiny in the past for his journalism, the CPJ said that in June 2021, Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency summoned him for questioning over alleged online defamation.
Last month, several media professionals, artists, academicians and human rights defenders from across Pakistan warned that the country has been witnessing one of the gravest crisis for freedom of expression in recent decades.
The observations were made during a roundtable convened by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) with the support of the European Union (EU).
According to the HRCP, the participants raised concerns over unchecked abuse of laws such as the PECA, expanding censorship, surveillance, and arbitrary restrictions on online expression.
They also pointed to shrinking access to information, intimidation of journalists, and increasing pressure on independent, regional and digital media in Pakistan.
