KARACHI: The founder of the Pakistani digital media channel Raftar, Farhan Mallick, was charged with “anti-state posts and fake news” on Friday in court under recently tightened laws that target online content.
Mallick’s media outlet on social media platform X reported that the court ordered his remand in custody for three days. Mallick was arrested under a new law that targets people who “intentionally disseminate” information that is “fake or likely to spread fear,” according to the charge sheet.
Since it was approved in January, journalists have protested this amended law, which carries a maximum sentence of three years in prison.
In recent years, several Raftar videos have received over a million views, demonstrating the platform’s popularity as a podcast and current affairs analysis tool. The impact of Pakistan’s military on the nation’s politics and economy is examined in these videos.
The Federal Investigation Agency, which deals with cybercrime, arrested Mallick, which has sparked worries about possible abuses of power and the degradation of free speech.
Imaan Mazari, a human rights attorney, has denounced the amendments, saying they seek to “quell dissent, abduct, arrest, and detain journalists, and silence all criticism of the state.” Meanwhile, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has called on authorities to protect the right to freedom of expression.
Reporters Without Borders ranks Pakistan’s press freedom at 152 out of 180 nations, and Islamabad has come under fire for limiting internet access through official blockages of X and temporary bans on YouTube and TikTok.
