ISLAMABAD: A court here on Tuesday dismissed the pre-arrest bail petition of a Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government official in a cybercrime case for his repeated failure to appear in court despite being served notices.
Additional Sessions Judge Mohammad Afzal Majoka of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Court announced the order, stating that the petitioner had “intentionally avoided to appear in court.”
The bail petition was dismissed due to non-prosecution.
According to the court order, notices for hearings on October 6 and 8 were sent to Sadeeq Anjam via WhatsApp and through his father, but he failed to appear. The petition was ultimately dismissed after he again failed to appear on Tuesday.
Fails to appear in court despite being served notices
The case stems from a First Information Report (FIR) registered in September 2024 at the FIA Cybercrime Reporting Centre in Islamabad. Anjam, along with seven co-accused, is alleged to have orchestrated a malicious social media campaign aimed at “harassing, blackmailing and defaming” the complainant, Ahmad Sadiq Dilawar, and his family.
The FIA’s case alleges that the online campaign also attempted to malign the judiciary by branding the complainant’s uncle, Judge Humayun Dilawar, as corrupt without providing any evidence.
Anjam had previously challenged the FIR in the Islamabad High Court (IHC), seeking to have it quashed.
However, in a detailed judgement on September 19, Justice Raja Inaam Ameen Minhas dismissed the petition.
The IHC ruled that quashing the FIR was not legally permissible at that stage because the investigative agency, FIA, had already completed its investigation and submitted a challan (final report) to the trial court, meaning the trial process had effectively begun.
“The court also observed that partially quashing an FIR for one accused while others remain nominated is a “legal impossibility.”
Judge Humayun Dilawar convicted PTI founder Imran Khan in the Toshakhana criminal reference on August 5, 2023, sentencing him to three years in prison.
Following the verdict, the KP government registered an FIR in Bannu against Judge Dilawar, his brother and another relative, accusing them of illegal land transfers. The judge’s family denied any wrongdoing, calling the FIR a retaliatory move.
Subsequently, in September 2024, the KP Anti-Corruption Establishment obtained arrest warrants against the judge and his family.
The FIA’s case alleges that Anjam and his co-accused, including other KP officials and a retired brigadier, then orchestrated an online campaign to discredit Judge Dilawar and his family.
Published in Dawn, October 15th, 2025
