An Islamabad district court granted journalist Waheed Murad post-arrest bail on Friday against a Rs50,000 surety bond, ending his two-day physical remand in a cybercrime case.
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had accused Murad of posting “intimidating content” online under Pakistan’s Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA).
Judicial Magistrate Abbas Shah presided over the hearing, during which Murad was represented by lawyers Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha. The FIA investigation revealed that the case centred on Murad’s social media posts quoting Baloch leader Akhtar Mengal’s statements about Balochistan. When pressed for evidence, FIA officials acknowledged that the posts referenced Mengal’s claim about the “Baloch genocide.”
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With man of the day @awaheedmurad, released finally Alhamdulillah pic.twitter.com/zqvq28VZyN
— Asad Ali Toor (@AsadAToor) March 28, 2025The court appearance followed a petition filed by Murad’s mother-in-law, Abida Nawaz, with the Islamabad High Court (IHC) alleging his “forcible disappearance” from their G-8 sector home. The petition described unidentified individuals in black uniforms accompanied by police vehicles taking Murad at 2:05 am on Wednesday, with his mother claiming to be manhandled during the incident.
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The FIA’s FIR cited violations of PECA sections, including cyber-terrorism and the spread of false information. It mentioned Murad sharing a FactFocus report about military officials’ family members. Murad’s legal team emphasized his journalistic work, particularly his reporting on the disappearance of journalist Ahmad Noorani’s brothers.
#Pakistan: Pakistani authorities must immediately and unconditionally release journalist Waheed Murad, who was taken away by masked men who broke into his home in the capital Islamabad before dawn on Wednesday. https://t.co/B9Qjbsd13U
— CPJ Asia (@CPJAsia) March 27, 2025The growing concerns regarding press freedom in Pakistan, especially related to reporting on sensitive topics such as Balochistan, are alarming. Legal experts highlight the increasing use of cybercrime laws against journalists, while advocates for press freedom condemn the trend of nighttime detentions.
