LAHORE: Canadian national Pakistani PhD scholar Hamza Ahmad Khan on Saturday approached a sessions court for post-arrest bail in a cybercrime case.

A judicial magistrate had denied him bail the other day.

The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) registered the case against him under Sections 20, 24, and 26-A of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016 (Peca).

The bail petition filed through Advocate Asad Jamal argues that the case against the petitioner is false and manufactured with the malicious intent to rope him in unjust and unfair legal proceedings.

It contends the judicial magistrate unjustly ignored the fact of abduction of the petitioner as demonstrated through the FIR.

It argues that the petitioner has not committed any criminal act under any law. The case against the petitioner is based on dishonesty and is devoid of any merit.

The petition states that grant of bail is a right and refusal is an exception in such cases especially when the prosecution is not conclusively equipped with evidence to bring the alleged case against the petitioner.

It asks the court to release the petitioner on bail as there is no likelihood that he will tamper the evidence which has already been collected by the prosecution.

Published in Dawn, March 1st, 2026