An Islamabad court has granted bail to journalist Waheed Murad, who was arrested earlier this week by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on charges of cyber terrorism and promoting criminal activities. Judicial Magistrate Abbas Shah approved the bail after Murad completed a two-day physical remand in FIA custody.
Initially, the court set the surety bond at Rs50,000, but after Murad’s request, the amount was reduced to Rs20,000. Murad was taken into custody on Tuesday night from his residence, where his mother-in-law was also staying, following allegations of spreading fake news. His wife had initially reported that masked men, dressed in black uniforms, entered their home at around 2 a.m. and took him away in a black vehicle, suspecting him of being an Afghan national.
Subsequently, a petition was filed by his legal representatives, Advocates Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha, to locate the missing journalist. The petition named the interior secretary, defence secretary, Islamabad’s police chief, and the SHO of Karachi Company police station as respondents.
The FIA filed charges against Murad under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), including sections on glorifying an offense, cyber terrorism, malicious code, and others. The prosecution claimed Murad had shared a post related to a banned organization in Balochistan and requested further investigation into his social media accounts and the recovery of his mobile phone.
