According to his attorney, Hadi Ali Chatta, Asad Toor, a prominent vlogger, has initiated a hunger strike following his detention by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on accusations of inciting a social media campaign against the judiciary and other institutions. Chatta informed the press that Toor has abstained from eating for the past 36 hours, highlighting his deteriorating health. By court order, Toor’s mother was granted permission to visit him at the FIA office.
Chatta noted that Toor’s illness prompted the FIA to summon medical assistance. Despite the allegations, the FIA’s interrogation has focused not on the supposed anti-judiciary campaign but on Toor’s journalistic work and sources.
Iman Mazari, another of Toor’s legal representatives, mentioned that the investigation has strayed from allegations of contempt towards pressuring Toor to disclose his journalistic sources and social media account passwords, a request Toor has denied.
On a recent court appearance, Judicial Magistrate Muhammad Shabbir of Islamabad mandated a five-day physical remand for Toor, with instructions for the FIA to present him again on March 3, 2024. During his remand hearing, Toor asserted his role as a journalist and inability to surrender his mobile phone, citing previous cooperations with the FIA and legal actions taken in response to the agency’s notices.
The FIR against Toor accuses him of orchestrating a defamatory campaign against the judiciary on social media platforms such as X and YouTube, engaging in anti-state activities under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016.
