Separate notices issued to Gohar Ali Khan, Omar Ayub, Raoof Hasan. PTI leaders directed to appear in person before investigators on Wednesday at 11:00am n According to FIA’s Cybercrime Reporting Centre an inquiry has been initiated to investigate Imran’s posts regarding fall of Dhaka.
ISLAMABAD – Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Saturday summoned at least three senior leaders of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party for questioning in connection with an ongoing inquiry about former prime minister Imran Khan’s controversial post on X over the 1971 debacle.
FIA Islamabad’s Cybercrime Reporting Centre (CCRC) issued separate notices to PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan, party’s Secretary-General and Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub Khan and Information Secretary Raoof Hasan for a personal appearance on Wednesday (June 5) at 11:00 am. Earlier this week, the cybercrime wing had initiated an inquiry against incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan on the allegation of “promoting anti-state narratives” through his May 26 post on X. The inquiry focuses on the alleged misuse of Khan’s X handle to disseminate a provocative video.
“An inquiry has been initiated regarding misuse of verified X (twitter) account of Imran Khan, Founder PTI, through which highly obnoxious and inciting content against state institutions is shared which is likely to cause fear or alarm in the public and may induce/provoke anyone to commit an offence against the state or the state institution or public tranquility,” reads each notice issued to every PTI leader.
The notice warns that proceedings under Section 174 of Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) would be initiated against anyone who failed to appear before the investigation officer.
The controversy started after a video was shared on X handle of ex-premier comparing the current political situation to the fall of Dhaka. Along with the video, the post urged that “every Pakistani should study” the Hamoodur Rahman Commission Report to know the actual reasons behind the disintegration of Pakistan into two parts in 1971. The video tried to shift the blame of the breakup of the country on to the Pakistan Army.
After disassociating itself from the post, the PTI’s Core Committee on Friday owned it and reiterated the demand of party chief that people must read the commission report.
Jailed politician Khan, the other day, had refused to meet the cybercrime wing investigation team that visited Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail to question him about the controversial tweet shared from his account.
Khan took the plea that he could not meet the team in the absence of his lawyers.
Earlier on May 29, a technical assistant at FIA’s CCRC in a letter to his high-ups had said that the post “built a false narrative and spread misinformation” against state institutions including the Pakistan Army, which was shared on the X handle of Khan with 20.6 million followers.
The post that also contained the video is clearly misleading, intimidating and amounts to inciting an officer/soldier of the Armed Forces of Pakistan to mutiny or otherwise disregard or fail in his duty and may induce/incite any officer/soldier to commit an offence against the state institutions or senior officers of Pakistan Army, read the letter.
It observed that this was a mischievous act of subversion within the various ranks of Armed Forces and to create a rift and hatred among the pillars of the state, which clearly fell under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), 2016.
