PECA court grants bail to journalist Bilal Ghouri, Why was Bilal Ghouri arrested?

Ghouri was arrested on September 5 over allegations of spreading false and misleading information regarding the appointment of Faisal Naseer as the National Coordinator of the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA).

A case was registered against the journalist under Sections 20 and 26-A of the amended PECA Act. He was subsequently sent to jail on judicial remand on September 12.

Judicial Magistrate Malik Aman heard Ghouri’s bail application on Wednesday. Supreme Court lawyer Imran Shafique appeared before the court on behalf of the journalist.

During the hearing, the defence counsel argued that the case was politically motivated and that its basic allegations were not supported by evidence.

After hearing arguments from both sides, the court approved Ghouri’s bail against surety bonds of Rs100,000. Speaking to Independent Urdu, lawyer Imran Shafique described the case against Ghouri as an attack on press freedom.

He said the prosecution had failed to identify any specific statement that would attract Sections 20 or 26-A of the PECA Act.

According to Shafique, the offences invoked against Ghouri were based on the details of his vlog, but the elements required to establish the offences were not present. He said Ghouri had neither defamed a national personality nor caused harm to public order, and there was no evidence to establish such allegations.

Why was Bilal Ghouri arrested?

Journalist, columnist and YouTuber Bilal Ghouri was arrested on September 5 after a case was registered against him over allegedly false and misleading information concerning the appointment of Faisal Naseer as NACTA's National Coordinator.

During an earlier hearing, when Ghouri was produced before the court, the judge asked him whether he considered the words used in his content appropriate.

Ghouri responded that he was not speaking against Faisal Naseer but was discussing NACTA.

Major General Faisal Naseer became the first military head of NACTA, an organisation established in 2008, after being appointed as its National Coordinator. Before the appointment, he served as head of the Internal Wing of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), known as DG-C.

The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) registered an FIR against Ghouri on September 6 under Sections 20 and 26-A of the amended PECA Act.

According to the FIR, Ghouri allegedly created a false narrative about the appointment of NACTA's National Coordinator and attempted to mislead the public through his social media accounts and YouTube channel on September 5.

The FIR further alleged that investigations revealed that the accused had promoted information contrary to facts and without verification, which allegedly created unrest among the public and sought to undermine their trust in state institutions. The court has now granted Bilal Ghouri bail against surety bonds of Rs100,000.