KARACHI: A judicial magistrate on Monday sent anchorperson Iqrarul Hassan to prison on an eight-day judicial remand until Oct 26 in a cybercrime case pertaining to the alleged dissemination of anti-state content.

Hassan was arrested a week ago for allegedly disseminating anti-state, false and defamatory content on his official social media accounts. He was booked under multiple sections of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca).

On Monday, Hassan was presented before Karachi (East) Judicial Magistrate-I Judge Gulraiz Memon upon the completion of his six-day physical remand.

Barrister Mian Ali Ashfaq appeared as the counsel for the TV personality.

The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), in whose custody the anchorperson was, sought an extension of his physical remand by another eight days.

However, Judge Memon noted that “sufficient time of physical custody” had been given to NCCIA.

“No cogent reason has been given by NCCIA for extension of physical custody; therefore, the accused is remanded to judicial custody till Oct 26,” he wrote in his directives.

The judge further stated that the suspect did not complain of “any maltreatment at the hands of police”.

The NCCIA presented a remand report before the magistrate under Section 167 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).

It contended that while the investigation had progressed, several material and vital aspects of the case are yet to be investigated in light of the forensic analysis report of Hassan’s seized digital gadgets and records from other departments, such as the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra).

Referring to a video Hassan shared on his accounts on X, Instagram, and Facebook on Oct 10, the NCCIA said the suspect was “intentionally disseminating false, fabricated, anti-state and defamatory content” with the objective of “instigating the general public against the state, its institutions and its functionaries”.

It further stated that the social media posts contained content “depicting lawful measures as controversial, and wrongly glorifying convicted individuals to incite public dissent against the state and authorities”.

The agency asserted that the content was published publicly to “influence” the general public in Pakistan and abroad and that the content “threatened the federation’s integrity, unity, and public order”.

Hassan was booked in the Oct 10 case under sections 9 (glorification of an offence), 10 (cyberterrorism), 24 (cyberstalking) and 26A (false and fake information) of Peca. He had been critical of the government’s policies on social media.