LAHORE: A local court in Lahore ordered the immediate release of TV anchorperson Imran Riaz Khan on Friday after the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) failed to establish the accused's connection with the allegations made in the FIR.

 According to lawyer Mian Ali Ashfaq, the anchorperson was taken into custody by the agency’s Lahore office at the Allama Iqbal Airport on Thursday when was trying to board a flight to the UAE.According to lawyer Mian Ali Ashfaq, anchorperson was taken into custody by agency’s Lahore office at Allama Iqbal Airport on Thursday when he was about to board flight to UAE.

FIA produced Imran before Magistrate Ghulam Murtaza Virk where his counsel barrister Mian Ali Ashfaq pleaded to court that even if whole speech was re-produced and their request for remand, as well as FIR, was treated as gospel truth, no offence could be proven.

لے کر جا رھا ھوں پھر ایک پھر- الحمد للہ- @ImranRiazKhan pic.twitter.com/bIW0OWWakS

— Mian Ali Ashfaq (@MianAliAshfaq) February 3, 2023

He argued that freedom of speech was guaranteed under Article 19 of Constitution which could not be snatched arbitrarily from citizen of state.

Investigating officer requested 14 days of physical remand of accused for completion of investigation and recovery of social media accounts Twitter and YouTube along with their passwords.

However, magisterial court turned down request for further remand and discharged accused from FIR. “Imran Riaz Khan was arrested by FIA and taken into custody at an unknown place. Airport staff misinformed public at scene and escorted him via backdoor entrances,” read tweet posted by Riaz’s social media team.

FIA’s cybercrime cell had registered an FIR against journalist under alleged charges of using defamatory and derogatory remarks against state institutions and former Chief of Army Staff Qamar Javed Bajwa.

Published in The Daily National Courier, February, 04 2023

Like Business on Facebook, follow @DailyNCourier on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.