The federal government has formed a joint investigation committee (JIT) to probe those creating “chaos and disorder” in the country through “malicious social media campaigns”, it emerged on Saturday.

While the move comes days after the interior ministry announced a JIT was being formed to probe the suspicion of PTI’s alleged involvement in “anti-state propaganda”, the notification does not mention the party.

PTI information secretary Raoof Hasan was arrested on Monday during a raid conducted by the Islamabad police and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on the party’s Central Office.

Subsequently, it had emerged that the FIA’s cybercrime wing had booked Hasan and 11 others under Sections 9 (glorification of an offence), 10 (cyberterrorism) and 11 (electronic forgery) of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016 (Peca).

The physical remand of Hasan and eight others was extended on Thursday and is due to expire tomorrow, while two women named in the case were remanded into judicial custody.

PTI MNA Gohar Khan had linked the action against his party to the Supreme Court’s order in the reserved seats case, which set the PTI to emerge as the single largest party in the National Assembly.

In a notification issued on Friday, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, the interior ministry said the JIT was constituted in terms of Section 30 (power to investigate) of Peca.

Islamabad Inspector General of Police (IGP) Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi would convene the JIT with the other four members comprising the FIA’s cybercrime director, FIA’s Counter Terrorism Wing director, Islamabad deputy inspector general (DIG) of police (investigation) and the Counter-Terrorism Department’s senior superintendent of police

“Any other co-opted member” could also be made part of the JIT, the notification stated.

It added the JIT shall “investigate and determine the organised objectives of the accused and their accomplices who have created chaos and disorder in Pakistan through malicious social media campaign”.

It would “identify and prosecute the culprits in accordance with the applicable laws” with the Islamabad police headquarters providing secretarial support to the JIT, the ministry notification said.

According to Section 30 of Peca, only an authorised officer of an investigation agency shall have the power to investigate an offence under the act.

“Provided that the federal government or the provincial government may, as the case may be, constitute one or more JITs comprising of an authorised officer of the investigation agency and any other law enforcement agency for investigation of an offence under this Act and any other law for the time being in force,” it says.