ISLAMABAD: A police case has been registered against four people, inclu­ding a journalist and a blogger, over charges of inciting violent protesters, mutiny, waging a war and terrorism.

The journalist, Shaheen Sehbai, anchorperson Waja­­hat Saeed Khan and blog­g­ers Syed Haider Raza Mehdi and Adil Farooq Raja have been booked for allegedly inciting a mob during the violent protests on May 9 after the arrest of PTI Chairman Imran Khan.

The case has been registered at Islamabad’s Ramna Police Station on the complaint of a citizen named, Mohammad Aslam a resident of the capital’s G-11 area.

The charges included Pakistan Penal Code’s sections 120-B (Punishment of criminal conspiracy), 121 (Waging or attempting to wage war or abetting waging of war against Pakistan), 121-A (Cons­piracy to commit offences punishable by Section 121) and 131 (Abetting mutiny, or attempting to seduce a soldier, sailor or airman from his duty), along with sections 7 (Punishment for acts of terrorism), 11-W (Prin­ting, publishing, or disseminating any material to incite hatred) and 21-I (Aid and abetment) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997.

The complainant stated that he was present within the police station’s limit when an angry mob allegedly vandalised public properties and spread terror.

He added that around 20 to 25 people were inciting the mob using videos and screenshots of Twitter and other social media posts made by the accused.

They were allegedly provoking the mob for spreading terrorism, attacking military installations, and inciting mutiny and chaos in the country.

Published in Dawn, June 13th, 2023