The District and Sessions Court in Islamabad has postponed the hearing of an appeal related to the exclusion of PTI leader Sanam Javed from a cybercrime case filed by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). The case will resume tomorrow.
During the proceedings, Additional District and Sessions Judge Afzal Majoka questioned the FIA prosecutor about the Islamabad High Court’s recent decision concerning Sanam Javed. The FIA prosecutor, Sheikh Amir, informed the court that the High Court had ruled against making any further arrests in Sanam Javed’s case.
The judge instructed the FIA to seek clarification from the Attorney General on how to proceed with the case and also requested that the written order from the Islamabad High Court be presented in the next hearing. When asked if the case was brought up in the High Court, the prosecutor admitted that no FIA officials were present during the hearing in the Islamabad High Court.
The FIA prosecutor also confirmed that no other cybercrime charges had been filed against Sanam Javed in any other region of Pakistan. When asked about the course of action if the court accepts the appeal, the prosecutor stated that Sanam Javed would be arrested once the appeal was approved.
The case traces back to July 14, 2023, when the Islamabad District and Sessions Court cleared Sanam Javed of charges related to spreading misinformation against state institutions, including the military, via her Twitter account. She was accused of promoting an anti-state agenda and inciting violence through social media.
In its written decision, the court noted that the FIR lacked specific details, such as the dates and times of the tweets attributed to Sanam Javed. Furthermore, there was no evidence to suggest that her tweets incited any anti-state activity. It was also confirmed that her mobile phone had been in police custody since May 10, 2023, and that she had not used it to post tweets after that date.
The FIR, filed by FIA Sub-Inspector Shahroz Riaz, also failed to show any authorization from state agencies or the military to complain. The court rejected the FIA’s request for a six-day physical remand and discharged Sanam Javed from the case.
