KARACHI: A district and sessions court in Karachi granted bail to journalist Farhan Mallick on Monday in a case filed under Pakistan’s cybercrime law, the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA). The court approved the bail application after hearing the arguments presented by Mallick’s lawyer. The defence argued that despite the considerable time passed since the case was filed, no concrete evidence had been provided to support the charges.
The defence lawyer, Moez Jafri, stated that the case against Journalist Farhan Mallick was baseless and that even screenshots presented in the case should not be considered as sufficient evidence for prosecution. The judge, Dr Chaudhry Wasim Iqbal, accepted these arguments and ordered Mallick to submit surety bonds worth Rs100,000 for his release.
Farhan Mallick is facing serious charges under PECA, as well as allegations of running an illegal call center. The case has sparked considerable debate in Pakistan, particularly in the media. On April 3, the court had issued a second notice to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), which had earlier failed to provide sufficient proof in the case. Despite the allegations, Mallick’s legal team continues to assert that the charges against him are fabricated.
In a separate case, the FIA arrested Farhan Mallick in March in connection with an alleged money laundering scheme. On March 25, the FIA raided a call center in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Karachi, and arrested two suspects, Athar Hussain and Hassan Najeeb, who were accused of defrauding foreigners and obtaining confidential data illegally. According to the FIA, the suspects claimed they were working under the instructions of Journalist Farhan Mallick.
However, Mallick’s defence team firmly opposed these claims, stating that the case against him was a result of a deliberate attempt to delay his remand and falsely implicate him. His lawyer, Jaffery, further accused the FIA of mishandling the case and violating court orders.
Despite the ongoing legal challenges, the court has now granted bail to Journalist Farhan Mallick, allowing him to continue his fight in court.
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