KARACHI: A local court on Saturday cancelled a case of alleged cyber terrorism, defamatory remarks against state institutions and hate speech against journalist Shahzeb Jillani for lack of evidence.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had booked Mr Jillani under Sections 500 (defamation), 109 (abetment) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code read with Sections 10-A (cyber terrorism), 11 (hate speech) and 20 (offences against dignity of a natural person) of the Pakistan Electronic Crime Act (Peca), 2016.

The case was registered on a complaint of Advocate Moulvi Iqbal Haider.

On Saturday, when Judicial Magistrate (South) Abdul Ahad Memon took up the matter, FIA’s investigating officer (IO) Sub-inspector Akbar Khan Mahsood filed the final charge sheet under Section 173 of the Criminal Procedure Code, after the court had twice issued show-cause notices to him over his failure to appear before the court.

The IO in his report mentioned that Mr Jillani’s remarks made out an offence punishable under Section 20 of Peca and sought his trial.

Published in Dawn, May 19th, 2019