LAHORE: A judicial magistrate on Saturday extended the physical remand of PTI activist Falak Javed for four days in cases of alleged misuse of social media platforms against state institutions and a woman provincial minister.

The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) produced Ms Falak before the magistrate at the district courts after the completion of her previous four-day remand.

The investigating officer sought an extension in the remand for further interrogation and recovery of her mobile phone. A defence counsel opposed the remand request, saying it was unnecessary. He argued that the NCCIA had already obtained a nine-day physical remand of his client in a false case.

He said the agency had earlier stated that it needed to recover a mobile phone, but no such recovery effort had been made during the previous remand period.

He asked the court to turn down the prosecution request for further custody and send the suspect to jail on judicial remand.

After hearing arguments from both sides, Magistrate Naeem Wattoo extended the physical remand of the suspect for four more days.

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.

The NCCIA had arrested Falak from Islamabad.

Published in Dawn, October 5th, 2025