Muhammad Khalid Jamil was arrested from his home in Media Town, Islamabad, on the evening of September 21. After a two-day physical remand, Jamil appeared in an Islamabad district and sessions court, with Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) failing to receive an extension of his detention. Subsequently, he was placed in 14 days of judicial remand in Islamabad’s Adiala Jail.
According to the First Information Report (FIR), Jamil was accused of propagating highly threatening content over multiple social media platforms, including platform X. The FIR references Section 505 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) pertaining to comments causing public harm, as well as Section 20 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), which deals with the public dissemination of misinformation. The FIR further claims that the journalist propagated anti-state and provocative narratives against state institutions.
On September 29, Jamil was granted bail of PKR 50,000 (approx. USD 174.25) by Islamabad Special Court Judge Central Shahrukh Arjumand. Jamil’s legal representation claimed the allegations against his client were baseless, and that his charge under the PECA was in violation of an Islamabad High Court decision deeming Section 20 of the act unconstitutional.
According to the IFJ’s South Asia Press Freedom Report 2022-2023, at least 93 separate cases of violations were recorded against at least 75 journalists, the highest in the region. These violations included seven incidents of kidnapping, six arrests; four detentions without charges and 11 separate legal actions against 17 journalists, among other media rights violations.
The PFUJ President GM Jamali and Secretary General Rana Muhammad Azeem said: “We oppose this draconian law and consider it against the freedom of expression and independence of media.
The IFJ said: “Journalists must be free to report without fear of retribution. The IFJ urges Pakistani authorities to intervene in the arrests and illegal detentions of journalists, including Muhammad Khalid Jamil's, and ensure that press freedom is upheld.”