A court in Karachi handed journalist Farhan Mallick over to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for a four-day custody on Friday following allegations of airing “anti-state” content on his media outlet’s YouTube channel.
Officials from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) arrested Mallick, the founder of Raftar Media and former news director of Samaa TV, on Thursday after raiding his office without prior notice.
Authorities then presented Mallick before Judicial Magistrate-I (East) Yusra Ashfaq. Although the FIA requested 14 days of physical custody, the magistrate granted only four days until March 25. Law enforcement has charged him under Sections 16 (tampering with communication equipment), 20 (malicious code), and 26-A (false and fake information) of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016, as well as Sections 500 (defamation) and 109 (abetment) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).
🚨🚨#BREAKING: A court in #Karachi granted 4 days physical remand of journalist @FarhanGMallick to @FIA_Agency. Important to note is that case against senior journalist #FarhanMallick registered under latest amendments in draconian #PECA law. pic.twitter.com/vNMVkOvRGD
— Asad Ali Toor (@AsadAToor) March 21, 2025Section 26-A recently added to PECA, defines fake news as information that a person knows or believes to be false, likely to cause fear, panic, or unrest. Violators face up to three years in prison, a fine of Rs2 million, or both.
FIA’s Allegations
According to the FIR dated March 20, the FIA received a report alleging that Raftar TV’s YouTube channel was running a campaign posting anti-state videos targeting dignitaries. The FIR accuses Mallick of generating and disseminating fake news, inciting the public, and damaging the reputation of public institutions internationally.
Journalist Farhan Mallick was presented before Judicial Magistrate-I (East) Yusra Ashfaq today, where the FIA sought his 14-day physical custody but was granted the remand for four days till March 25 (Tuesday).https://t.co/VbL5AFFJWL
— Dawn.com (@dawn_com) March 21, 2025In their request for remand, the FIA stated that they needed to interrogate Mallick to identify his accomplices and recover any devices containing incriminating material.
Raftar Media’s Response
Raftar Media denied the allegations, stating that no concrete evidence had been presented against Mallick or the outlet. In a post on X, the organization affirmed its commitment to press freedom and due process, vowing to pursue all legal avenues to ensure justice.
Mallick’s arrest has drawn widespread criticism from the media fraternity and human rights activists. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) urged authorities to check agency overreach and uphold the right to freedom of expression.
Pakistan ranks 152 out of 180 countries in the Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders. The country has faced criticism for restricting internet access, including temporary bans on YouTube and TikTok and the ongoing block on X (formerly Twitter).
