An Islamabad court has recently sentenced Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf member Raoof Hasan and nine other party members to 14 days of judicial custody in a case concerning anti-state propaganda.
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) of Pakistan brought Hasan before the court following the completion of his physical remand. Hasan was arrested last week during a raid conducted jointly by the FIA and Islamabad police.
Hasan’s arrest stems from PTI’s alleged “anti-state digital campaigns,” with the Interior Ministry accusing the party of spreading “anti-state propaganda.” A government-formed Joint Investigation Committee investigated “malicious social media campaigns” that allegedly caused “chaos and disorder.”
According to the FIA, a “technical report” indicated that the suspects were in communication with each other. PTI’s lawyer argued for Hasan’s medical check-up, citing his poor health, as the accused had already been in FIA custody for seven days.
The judge ordered a medical examination for Hasan, who complained of severe chest pain, before remanding him to judicial custody for 14 days.
On July 23, a district and sessions court in Islamabad approved a two-day physical remand for Raoof Hasan. After Hasan’s appearance in court, the FIA prosecutor requested a physical remand to recover gadgets allegedly used for anti-state propaganda.
The prosecutor informed the court that the FIA case might warrant a 30-day physical remand. He urged the court to place the PTI official under a 10-day physical remand, transferring him to the investigating agency. Hasan’s attorney, Latif Khosa, opposed the prosecutor’s request for an extended physical remand.
