PTI Chitral activist arrested; another gets transit bail

CHITRAL: An activist and provincial assembly ticket aspirant of the PTI Lower Chitral was arrested on the charge of creating hatred against state institutions and in its officers on social media.

Sources in the district police told Chitral Today that an FIR had been registered against Muhammad Sharif on the complaint of Syed Gul, a resident of Rehankot, Lower Chitral, on March 29, 2023.

In the FIR, the complainant stated that  a hateful, baseless and threatening campaign had been launched on social media against state institutions, especially Pakistan Army and its top officers. 

One of those behind the spread of the propaganda is Muhammad Sharif, a resident of Shoghor. Because of his hateful and anti-state posts on social media, the applicant and other citizens were feeling hurt.

Therefore, he added, legal action should be taken against the suspect.

The police registered the FIR under section 153-A of Pakistan Penal Code.

Transit bail granted 

A court in Peshawar granted transit bail to another activist of the PTI in a case registered against him in Lower Chitral for allegedly spreading hatred against state institutions on social media.

The district and sessions judge directed Zubair Chitrali to approach the relevant Chitral court by April 13 for pre-arrest bail.

The petitioner is the general secretary of the PTI’s Youth Wing in Lower Chitral district.

Lower Chitral resident Sajad Alam has filed a complaint at the city police station alleging that Mr Chitrali had been maligning state institutions and spreading hatred against them through use of social media.

The petitioner was charged under the Pakistan Penal Code’s Section 153-A (spreading hatred against different groups).

Senior lawyers Qazi Mohammad Anwar, Arbab Fakhre Alam and Yasir Khalid appeared for the petitioner and claimed that their client was named in a fake case.

They said fake cases had been registered against members of the PTI across the country.

The counsel requested the court to grant protective and transit bail to the petitioner to enable him to approach the relevant court in Chitral for pre-arrest bail.