LAHORE: A Canadian national pursuing doctoral research, who went missing last week, was found in the custody of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), which produced Hamza Ahmad Khan on Monday before a magistrate, who sent him to jail on a 14-day judicial remand.
Earlier, the police had registered a kidnapping case on Sunday on the complaint of his friend. According to the first information report (FIR), Hamza went missing in the early hours of February 19 after leaving his residence in DHA Phase 10. The case was registered at the Defence-A police station.
On Monday, it emerged that Hamza was in NCCIA custody for allegedly making anti-state posts on social media platforms X and Instagram. According to the FIR registered by the NCCIA, the agency stated that during routine cyber patrols, accounts associated with Hamza were actively “disseminating misinformation and disinformation targeting the state institutions”.
The case was registered under sections 20 (offences against the dignity of a natural person), 24 (cyber stalking) and 26A (spoofing) of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca). The agency stated that an initial analysis indicated the content in question was published intentionally and was publicly accessible. It described the posts as inflammatory, which “appeared designed to incite public unrest, spread animosity and undermine social order”.
The FIR further stated that the propagation of such content posed a “significant risk” with “the potential to cause reputational damage to the state of Pakistan domestically and internationally”.
According to the agency, the inquiry verified that Hamza was allegedly uploading derogatory posts against state functionaries and institutions with the intention of harming their reputation. It added that the suspect was posting content aimed at defaming constitutional and political leadership, inciting hatred and undermining the integrity of the state.
