ISLAMABAD – The wife of media personality Mohsin Baig filed a terrorist case against him in the Islamabad High Court on Thursday (IHC).
His wife filed a petition for the terrorism case to be dismissed, claiming that the police had filed a fake and unsubstantiated case against him at the Margalla police station, and that the court should order the police to dismiss the charges.
Baig had been arrested the day before by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) after a huge contingent of police raided his home in the morning for criticising Communications Minister Murad Saeed.
At Saeed’s request, the FIA opened an investigation into Baig after the former made an unethical and insulting statement about the latter during a private TV channel programme. Murad’s ministry just received a top performance award from Prime Minister Imran Khan, which the panellists discussed.
The programme was heavily criticised by government officials, and the media regulator issued a show-cause notice to the channel.
Baig, his sons, and servants opened fire on the FIA team during the raid, according to FIA officials, and kept two policemen prisoner and tortured them. According to them, Baig committed a crime by firing on government officials as well as his sons and servants.
Baig was transported to the Margalla police station, where Islamabad police were pursuing additional action, according to officials. In the case filed against Baig at the Margalla police station, his son was also named.
According to the FIA, Baig was charged under Sections 20 (offences against a natural person’s dignity), 21-D (offences against a person’s modesty and minors), and 24 (cyber stalking) of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016, as well as Sections 500 (defaming army officers) and 555 (statement conducing to public mischief) of the Pakistan Penal Code.
The FIA had no arrest warrant for Baig, according to his spokesperson, and no case had been filed against him. Baig was beaten during the operation, according to the spokeswoman, and his family members were harassed.
The FIA did not make an official comment at first. However, the agency announced in the afternoon that its Cyber Crime Wing in Lahore had filed a complaint against Baig at the request of Federal Minister Murad Saeed, and had raided Baig’s home in F-8 after obtaining a court warrant.
