Smear campaign against Ali Zafar: Suspects’ plea for permanent exemption rejected by court

LAHORE: A judicial magistrate has summoned singer Meesha Shafi, issued arrest warrants of two and denied exemption from personal appearance to four suspects in a criminal case registered under the cyber crime law by actor-cum-singer Ali Zafar.

All the suspects had failed to attend the hearing before the magistrate on Tuesday.

Actor Iffat Omar, Faizan Raza, Haseemur Zaman, Fariha Ayub and Leena Ghani filed the applications seeking exemption from personal appearance. Almost all of them took similar ground of living and working in Karachi being permanent residents. They said it was difficult for them to appear before the court on each and every hearing.

Ms Omar sought one time exemption due to some personal exigency in Karachi.

However, in his written order issued on Wednesday, Magistrate Yousaf Abdul Rehman rejected the ground taken by the suspects and dismissed their applications for permanent exemption.

The magistrate also issued bailable arrest warrants for Oct 6 of Ms Omar and non-bailable arrest warrants of Ali Gul Pir, who remained unrepresented.

The magistrate summoned Ms Shafi and Maham Javed through summons for the next date of hearing. He observed that a revisional court suspended the orders to the extent of submission of surety bonds of the two women suspects. “So, keeping in view the above, absent accused ladies be summoned through summons,” the order said.

The FIA had lodged the FIR under section 20 of the Pakistan Electronic Crime Act and section 109 of Pakistan Penal Code against nine persons allegedly for running a smear campaign against the complainant on social media.

The agency in its challan (investigation report) said the investigation established that all the suspects including Shafi posted serious/direct allegations and defamatory /derogatory content on social media against the complainant.

Published in Dawn, September 9th, 2021

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