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A Karachi court has sent journalist Farhan Mallick to jail for 14 days over allegations of airing anti-state content on his media outlet’s YouTube channel, Raftar.
Mallick, a former news director at Samaa TV, was arrested on March 20 and charged under Pakistan’s Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) and the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).
After spending four days in Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) custody, authorities sought an extension of his remand, which the court denied. His bail hearing is set for March 27.
According to a first information report (FIR) dated March 20, the FIA’s case against Mallick stems from accusations that Raftar ran an online campaign with videos allegedly violating state laws.
Mallick had been booked under sections 16 (unauthorised use of identity information), 20 (offences against the dignity of a natural person) and 26-A of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) 2016, as well as sections 500 (punishment for defamation) and 109 (abetment) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).
READ: Journalist Farhan Mallick arrested by FIA over video content
He faces charges including defamation, unauthorized use of identity information, and abetment. Notably, Section 26A of PECA, introduced recently, criminalizes spreading false or panic-inducing news, carrying a three-year jail term or a fine of up to Rs2 million.
His arrest has sparked strong backlash from media organizations and human rights groups.
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) condemned the charges as an attack on press freedom.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) also called for his immediate release, criticizing Pakistan’s continued crackdown on independent journalism.
Pakistan, ranked 152 out of 180 countries in the Press Freedom Index, has been repeatedly criticized for restricting online content, with platforms like X officially blocked.
