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The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has reportedly arrested journalist Farhan Mallick over content posted on his YouTube platform, Raftaar.
Mallick, the founder of Raftar and former news director of Samaa TV, was under investigation for three months, according to FIA Cyber Crime Reporting Centre Additional Director Shahzad Haider.
According to Dawn News, Haider stated that Mallick was arrested for running “several programs against the security establishment.” However, no official charge sheet was provided at the time of his arrest.
The senior journalist is accused of violating PECA laws, as per Raftaar’s official tweet on X.
Mallick’s wife told local media that she had not received an FIR and was not informed about the charges. She stated that her husband visited the FIA office voluntarily but was kept waiting for hours before being told he was under arrest.
Mallick’s son posted on X (formerly Twitter), claiming FIA officials raided the Raftaar office the night before, harassing the team and demanding Mallick appear at their office the next day.
“He went to the FIA at 1 PM and was arrested at 6 PM, without any explanation or justification,” Mallick’s son wrote. He questioned whether free journalism was now considered a crime.
READ: PECA Amendments Act 2025 enforced amid journalist protests
Later, Raftar released a statement on X, saying Mallick complied with the FIA’s verbal summons but was arrested after hours of waiting. The digital platform condemned the harassment of journalists and demanded clarity on his arrest.
Several journalists, including Geo News anchor Shahzad Iqbal, defended Mallick, calling him a credible journalist who focused on the truth without any ulterior motives.
This is not Mallick’s first run-in with the FIA.
In December 2024, he was stopped from boarding a flight to Doha and detained for five hours at Karachi Airport. His passport and phone were confiscated, and no explanation was provided.
Mallick later wrote to the Director General of Immigration and Passports to remove his name from the Provisional National Identification List (PNIL), despite no indication he was on it.
He had also been under two FIA investigations in November 2024 regarding Raftar’s content. After seeking legal protection, the Sindh High Court restrained authorities from taking coercive action against him.
