Journalist Aslam Shah granted bail in defamation case

Journalist Aslam Shah was granted bail on Wednesday, a week after his arrest on the charges of “defamation through social media” under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA).

In a hearing held today on his bail application, Judicial Magistrate (South) granted Shah bail and directed him to submit surety bonds of Rs30,000.

A large number of journalists were present at the hearing, while the lawyer representing the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), Shiraz Rajper, appeared as well.

On January 7, the NCCIA arrested Shah on charges of “defamation through social media”.

Shah had moved an application through his counsel, Nasir Ahmed, before the Judicial Magistrate (South), seeking post-arrest bail in the case.

On January 12, the magistrate took up the bail plea, but an NCCIA official appeared and informed the court that the investigating officer was on leave and that the case file was not available with the prosecution. He requested that the matter be adjourned to Jan 14.

In the application, counsel Ahmed submitted that the case against Shah had been registered with malafide intent, alleging that he had been implicated solely to “take revenge” and to save the complainant.

He argued that the applicant had 30 years of experience in journalism and had worked with recognised print and wire media organisations.

The counsel further submitted that Shah was protected under Section 7 of the Protection of Journalists and Media Professionals Act, 2021.

The case was registered on December 29, 2025, on the complaint of Tabish Raza Husnain, said to be an official of the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC), under Sections 20 (offences against the dignity of a natural person) and Section 24 (cyberstalking) of PECA.

In the FIR, the complainant had alleged that Shah was doing “defamation propaganda” against him and his senior, Colonel Anjum, on social media groups.

He also alleged that he had used abusive language, which caused him significant distress and damage to his reputation.

In August 2025, the Senate Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting showed its concern over registration of cases against journalists under the controversial Peca and called for urgent action to address growing concerns of media persons regarding FIRs and arrests of journalists.