The Islamabad High Court has sent to the Chief Justice an Electronic Crimes Prevention Act case, over a fake image of the Prime Minister filed against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leader Shandana Gulzar, seeking its consolidation with a PECA case previously pending against the accused.
The image in question is a fake image of Prime Minister Shehbaz shaking hands with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. The previous case in question, also filed under PECA 2016 last year, alleged that Shandana made anti-state statements, which was already being challenged in the IHC.
The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) had registered the case against him, alleging that he engaged in anti-state activities and posted fabricated content on social media.
The first news report claimed that Shandana had spread fake and misleading news on social media. The NCCIA formally registered the FIR and launched an investigation.
Read: IHC issues final warning to respondents in PECA case
Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir heard Shandana Gulzar’s plea to dismiss the PECA case. Gulzar appeared in court along with his lawyer Moazam Butt, who informed the court that he had obtained protective bail granted by the Peshawar High Court.
When asked if he had been part of the investigation, his lawyer explained that his protective bail had been extended after the Islamabad bomb blast. A similar case is already pending in the court of Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro.
Judge Tahir suggested that the two cases could be consolidated or heard by the respective courts. Gulzar’s lawyer expressed confidence in the court’s discretion.
The IHC has now forwarded the applications to consolidate Shandana Gulzar’s petition to the Chief Justice for further consideration.
