LAHORE: A judicial magistrate on Thursday handed over PTI activist Falak Javed to the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) on a five-day physical remand in cases of alleged misuse of social media platforms against state institutions and a woman provincial minister.

A team of the NCCIA produced the activist, who was arrested from Islamabad the other day, before the magistrate at the district courts.

During the proceedings, Advocate Mian Ali Ashfaq appeared on behalf of the suspect and opposed the remand. He argued that the alleged occurrence in question took place more than a year ago.

He contended that the case was solely based on a single report of the NCCIA, which carried no legal weight. He pointed out that there were no private witnesses in the case. He urged the court to discharge his client.

NCCIA Assistant Director Legal Zaina Zaheer stated that the suspect had been declared an absconder during the inquiry. She said 36 raids were conducted for her arrest. She said parents of the suspect had appeared before investigators but failed to produce her.

She sought a 30-day remand, claiming the suspect had remained in hiding.

After hearing both sides, Magistrate Naeem Wattoo allowed a five-day physical remand of the PTI activist and directed the agency to produce her again on Sept 30.

Punjab Minister for Information Azma Bokhari got a case registered with the NCCIA alleging that PTI activist Falak Javed doctored her photos and videos and made them viral on social media. She also filed a petition in the Lahore High Court complaining about the failure of the agency to arrest the activist. She claimed that character assassination on social media infringed her constitutional rights.

Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2025