PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court on Thursday granted protective bail to special assistant to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister on anti-corruption, retired Brigadier Mohammad Musaddiq Abbasi and two others in a case registered against them under cyber-crime law in Islamabad for allegedly defaming a judicial officer, who convicted former prime minister Imran Khan last year, and his family members.

A bench consisting of Justice Shakeel Ahmad directed Mr Abbasi and the other suspects -Umer Sadique and Sadeeq Anjum - to appear before the relevant court by Oct 5.

The bench was hearing a joint protective bail petition filed by the three suspects requesting the court to allow them protective bail in the case registered by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Sept 11 over a complaint filed by Ahmad Sadiq Khan, a nephew of special judge (central) Islamabad Humayun Dilawar.

The FIR was registered under sections 20 and 24 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act read with sections 505, 506 (ii), 34 and 109 of the Pakistan Penal Code.

A day prior to that a judicial magistrate in Bannu had issued arrest warrants of judge Humayun Dilawar, his father Dilawar Khan, his brother Sadiq Dilawar, and revenue officer Taj Mali Khan in a case registered by the KP anti-corruption establishment accusing them of tampering with a court decree to ‘illegally occupy’ land and convert the same into a housing scheme.

Advocate Alam Khan Adenzai appeared for the petitioners and contended that the FIA had registered the case against his clients with mala fide intentions and ulterior motives.

He said that the petitioners intended to approach the relevant court in Islamabad for pre-arrest bail but they apprehended their arrest by the law enforcing agencies on their way to the court.

The lawyer contended that the petitioners were respectable and law abiding citizens and allegations levelled against them in the FIR were false.

The FIA has named several suspects in the FIR, including petitioners, saying on conclusion of inquiry it was found that those persons had initiated a malicious campaign on different social media platforms to harass, blackmail and defame the complainant along with his family.

It added that they also built an ill will narrative in the public through social media against the entire judicial institution by declaring the complainant’s uncle, a sitting member of the judiciary, as corrupt on baseless allegations without any proof.

Published in Dawn, September 13th, 2024