LHC Grants Imran Khan’s Sister Noreen Niazi Protective Bail in Peca Case
The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday granted interim protective bail to Noreen Niazi, the sister of PTI founder Imran Khan, in a case registered by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA). The NCCIA case alleges that Niazi made derogatory and inflammatory remarks against state institutions during a podcast interview and in subsequent clips shared on X.
The court granted bail to Niazi for one week, allowing her to appear safely before the relevant court in Islamabad. Her counsel argued that she feared arbitrary arrest before she could approach the relevant court in Islamabad. The barrister also stated that the allegations against Niazi were politically motivated and part of an attempt to harass her.
The FIR registered under Sections 20 (Offences against dignity of a natural person) and 26-A (Punishment for false and fake information) of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016, alongside sections 505 (Statement conducing to public mischief) and 506 (Punishment for criminal intimidation), alleged that Niazi and others had been involved in “preparing, publishing, propagating, glorifying, disseminating and promoting highly offensive, derogatory, inflammatory and intimidating content” on social media. The FIR stated that she deliberately targeted security and state institutions with misleading and false allegations.
The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) termed this a “deliberate campaign” to malign these institutions and spread false narratives, accusing Niazi of undermining the achievements of the armed forces in a podcast interview available online. The agency had earlier summoned Niazi to appear before it on July 20 over allegations of disseminating “false, offensive and inflammatory” content against state institutions.
The court also directed Niazi to appear before the relevant court in Islamabad before the next hearing. Her counsel requested that the court grant interim protective bail to allow her to appear safely before the relevant court in Islamabad. After considering the arguments presented by both sides, Justice Sardar Akbar Ali granted protective bail to Niazi for one week and directed her to appear before the relevant court before the next hearing.
The case is a significant development in the ongoing investigation into alleged cybercrime and harassment against PTI founder Imran Khan’s sister. The Lahore High Court has been monitoring the case closely, with the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) working tirelessly to gather evidence and build a strong case against Niazi.
Based on reporting from Dawn.
