August 23, 2022 – A district and sessions court in Karachi has granted the Islamabad police three-day transit remand of BOL TV anchorperson Jameel Farooqui, who was arrested for making “false accusations” against the law enforcement agency regarding the alleged torture of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Shahbaz Gill.
Farooqui’s custody was transferred to the Islamabad police following the approval of his transit remand on Monday. A day earlier, a case had been filed against the anchorperson and YouTuber at the Ramna police station in Islamabad. In a video shared on PTI’s official Twitter account, Farooqui was seen in handcuffs at Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport, accompanied by an Islamabad police official. He said he was being moved to Islamabad and his family and channel were not aware of his arrest. He also accused the police of torturing him.
Inhumane treatment of ordinary citizens continues in the fascist imported government. How many you will silence, how many you will torture? Everyday Pakistan makes everyone believe that human rights are now completely nonexistent. pic.twitter.com/2CS9AeZYsK
— PTI (@PTIofficial) August 22, 2022
According to Islamabad police’s statement carried by Radio Pakistan, Farooqui falsely accused the police in his vlog of physically and sexually assaulting Shahbaz Gill, who was arrested earlier this month after making controversial remarks regarding the Pakistan Army on ARY News. Farooqui was booked under Sections 499 (defamation), 500 (punishment for defamation), 501 (printing or engraving matter known to be defamatory), and 186 (obstructing public service in discharge of public functions) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).
Farooqui’s arrest was condemned by a number of journalists, including BOL TV’s senior anchorperson Sami Ibrahim, and the Karachi Union of Journalists (KUJ).
Last week, an FIR was registered in Karachi against ARY CEO Salman Iqbal, anchorperson Arshad Sharif, and Islamabad Bureau Chief Khawar Ghumman over Gill’s comments against the army. Ammad Yousaf, the head of ARY News, was also arrested “without a warrant” from his residence. The channel was accused of trying to create a rift within the armed forces with the PTI by airing hateful and divisive opinions. Subsequently, the Interior Ministry issued a notice cancelling the no-objection certificate (NOC) of ARY News on the basis of “adverse reports from agencies”. The cancellation, however, was revoked by the Sindh High Court.
