In an interested development, former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf member has been booked under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) by Lahore Police for alleged online posts against state institutions on Monday.
It should be noted that the singer Salman Ahmad currently resides in US and is particularly active on his social media accounts, often for his commentary on Pakistani politics.
According to details, Defence A police station in Lahore has charged the ex-PTI member and singer under PECA following complaint of an on-duty police officer.
Salman Ahmad boasts more than 250,000 followers on his X (formerly Twitter) account. According to the FIR, Salman has been accused of posting content online aimed at creating fake propaganda against Pakistan and its state institutions.
Salman Ahmad has taken to X, to write, “Pakistan is a great and strong country. It is not a perfect country. No country is. Speaking out peacefully for the freedom and democracy of the Pakistani people is a patriotic act not a crime. And charging those who love and want the best for Pakistan with crimes shows fear not strength.”
“It is time for every Pakistani to show courage and the tough love that we need. History will judge whether we meet the moment for peaceful reform or allow our voices to be silenced. We must stand for truth,” he wrote by adding the link to the song ‘Junoon’ by Strings.
It merits a mention that Salman Ahmad was kicked out of PTI in December last year for “sowing division” within the party supporters through “defamatory posts.”
Once considered a close aide of former Prime Minster Imran Khan, the singer was issued a notification that the party “had dissociated itself from your conduct and statements and had warned you about the consequences of your conduct”.
PTI through its official X account posted, “His recent social media activity and attacks on Chairman Imran Khan’s family has deeply hurt sentiments of many Pakistanis, this behavior is completely unacceptable.”
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