Bilal Ghauri Sent on Three-Day Physical Remand in PECA Case
Judicial Magistrate Malik Aman granted the NCCIA three days’ physical remand of journalist Bilal Ghauri after the agency sought 10 days in a PECA case linked to his September 5 vlog and social-media content concerning the appointment of NACTA’s National Coordinator.
ISLAMABAD: A district and sessions court in Islamabad on Monday granted the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) three days’ physical remand of journalist and vlogger Bilal Ghauri in a case registered under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA).
Ghauri was produced before Judicial Magistrate Malik Aman, where the NCCIA sought his physical custody for 10 days. The court, however, allowed a three-day remand.
The case stems from content Ghauri published on September 5 concerning the appointment of the National Coordinator of the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA). According to the FIR, the NCCIA alleges that the content contained false and misleading information and was disseminated without adequate verification. The case has reportedly been registered under Sections 20 and 26-A of PECA.
Defence Challenges Allegations of Misinformation
During Monday’s hearing, Ghauri’s lawyers strongly contested the allegations and questioned what specific information in his vlog the investigating agency considered false.
Lawyer Imran Shafiq argued that Ghauri had read from a notification that had already been issued and asked the NCCIA to identify precisely where the alleged misinformation appeared in the vlog.
“What is the false information in Bilal Ghauri’s vlog? The NCCIA should tell us,” Shafiq argued, according to the courtroom proceedings shared with Islamabad Tribune.
The defence maintained that Ghauri’s programme remained available on YouTube and could be examined in its entirety. Shafiq argued that there was “not a single word” in the programme that could legitimately be characterised as a lie, challenging the prosecution to establish otherwise.
Another defence lawyer, Hanzala Habib, told the court that the vlog was uploaded on September 5 and argued that Ghauri had not been served any notice before being taken into custody.
During the proceedings, journalist Asif Bashir Chaudhry raised concerns about the implications of the case for journalism, telling the court that journalists were present before it and questioning how journalism could be practised under such circumstances.
Court Questions Ghauri Over Vlog Content
The magistrate also questioned Ghauri directly about some of the language used in the vlog. Ghauri told the court that his comments concerned the performance of an institution and maintained that he was discussing NACTA rather than making remarks against an individual.
When asked about his concluding observation, Ghauri said he had stated that officials would act according to the chain of command. The magistrate questioned whether a similar comparison could be drawn with the judiciary. Ghauri responded that the judiciary was independent, whereas the institution he was discussing operated through a chain-of-command structure.
The NCCIA investigator, meanwhile, told the court that recovery and examination relating to Ghauri’s YouTube and X accounts remained part of the investigation.
Available reporting on FIR No. 143/2026 states that the case concerns an X post and a 16-minute, six-second YouTube video published on September 5 regarding the NACTA National Coordinator appointment. The NCCIA alleges the material was false and misleading; those allegations remain contested by Ghauri and his defence and have not been finally determined by a court.
Following arguments from both sides, Judicial Magistrate Malik Aman granted the NCCIA three days’ physical remand instead of the 10 days sought by the investigating agency.
