Asad Ali Toor, a journalist, was detained by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Monday for allegedly participating in a “malicious campaign” against the superior judiciary following the Supreme Court’s decision to revoke PTI’s ‘bat’ symbol before the elections. Despite arriving at the FIA Cyber Crime Reporting Centre in Islamabad to cooperate with the inquiry, Toor was taken into custody without his legal team, despite an order from the Islamabad High Court to not harass him.
At 9:05 pm, it was confirmed that Toor had been arrested by the FIA, prompting criticism from Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari, who blamed the high court for failing to protect Toor’s fundamental rights. This arrest followed an eight-hour interrogation on Friday and despite assurances from the Attorney General that no action would be taken on journalists before the general election.
The arrest was met with condemnation from journalist Hamid Mir and digital rights activist Usama Khilji, who both criticized the assault on press freedom in Pakistan. Matiullah Jan also condemned the arrest, highlighting that this incident serves as a stark reminder to journalists of the ongoing challenges they face in the country.