ISLAMABAD: The investigating officer of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), accused of harassing journalist Taha Siddiqui, informed the Islamabad High Court (IHC) that he had become irrelevant to the case as it had been transferred to the cyber crime circle.

FIA’s deputy director Noman Ashraf Bodla in a written reply to the IHC in response to Siddiqui’s petition said he was tasked to probe the activities of Siddiqui on social media and in this connection he made a call to him.

According to Bodla, he spoke to Siddiqui politely and never tried to harass him.

He, however, said since the inquiry in this matter had been transferred to the cyber crime circle of the FIA, therefore, he had become irrelevant to the case.

According to a petition filed by journalist Taha Siddiqui, FIA deputy director Bodla on May 18 called him and asked him to appear in person at the FIA headquarters for interrogation. The petitioner alleged that the FIA official tried to harass him and also extended threats. IHC had restrained the FIA from harassing the journalist in May.

Published in Dawn, July 6th, 2017