Imran Khan’s sister secures transit bail in cybercrime case

The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Monday granted transit pre-arrest bail to Noreen Niazi, sister of incarcerated

The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Monday granted transit pre-arrest bail to Noreen Niazi, sister of incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, in a case registered under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca) 2016.

The court directed Niazi to approach the relevant Islamabad court by August 20 for further legal proceedings. Her protective relief will remain effective until that date.

Justice Arshad Ali heard Niazi’s petition. Her legal team included Ali Zaman, Amir Zeb and Barrister Sarwar Muzaffar Shah.

The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) registered the case in Islamabad on July 27. Niazi has been accused of making allegedly derogatory and inflammatory remarks about state institutions during a podcast and in video clips later circulated on social media.

Her lawyers rejected the allegations and maintained that she had been falsely implicated. They argued that the case was politically motivated and that the authorities had not presented substantial evidence linking her to the alleged offences.

The defence further claimed that attempts were being made to arrest and harass Niazi. The lawyers said the statements cited in the case had been taken out of context and wrongly interpreted.

In its order, the PHC observed that the request for transit bail deserved consideration. The court subsequently granted interim protection subject to bail bonds of Rs80,000 and two sureties.

Niazi later spoke to reporters and said she became aware of the case after arriving in Peshawar. She claimed that remarks she had made privately were allegedly passed on to authorities and subsequently became the basis of the case.

She also alleged that several cases had been registered against members of Imran Khan’s family. Niazi questioned the allegations against her, saying she had never visited Peshawar and therefore had no involvement in matters concerning the province.

The case emerged after the NCCIA summoned Niazi on July 20 over allegations involving the dissemination of what the agency described as false, offensive and inflammatory content concerning state institutions.

The action followed the circulation of a video interview in which Niazi discussed the Pakistan-India military confrontation of last year. She made allegations about the circumstances surrounding the conflict and questioned the motives behind it.

She also made claims involving Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Israel and US President Donald Trump.