ISLAMABAD: The federal government has charged senior journalist and BOL News anchor Sami Ibrahim with violating the infamous Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) of 2016.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) summoned the anchorperson in person on May 13 (Friday) at 11:00 a.m, under PECA’s Section 20, which criminalises defamation, according to the notification. The FIA notification stated that the journalist’s video “spread false and baseless claims against high government personnels.”

The notification further read that Ibrahim constructed a narrative with the goal of instilling fear, terror, insecurity, and unrest between government officials/military personnel and the general public.

Section 20 of the law increased the penalty for spreading “false news” on social media from two to five years in prison. It also mandated that courts rule on such cases within six months.

Meanwhile, Ibrahim tweeted in response to the summons that his lawyer Raja Aamir Abbas has notified the agency that he is out of the country and will take required legal measures after May 14.

حکومت نے بزریہ ایف ای اے میرے خلاف ایک مقدمہ قائم کیا ھے۔حکومتی نوٹس کی کاپی بھی میں نے لگا دی ھے۔۔ یہ معاملہ میں نے اپنے وکیل راجہ عامر عباس سے ڈسکس کیا ھے جو FIA کو بتا دھے ھیں کہ میں ابھی ملک س باھر ھوں۔۔14 مئ کو میری واپسی کے بعد ضروری قانونی چارہ جوی کی جای گی۔۔۔۔۔y pic.twitter.com/Wz0uz6PbmG

— Sami Abraham (@samiabrahim) May 7, 2022

Read more: FIA approaches Supreme Court against revocation of PECA

Note that a day earlier, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb had announced the immediate withdrawal of a review petition filed by the FIA in the apex court for restoration of the PECA, 2016’s section 20.

In a series of tweets, Marriyum had said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had taken strict notice of the petition filed by the FIA regarding the PECA.

“The prime minister and I learned a short while ago that THE FIA has filed a petition in SC against the IHC judgment regarding PECA Act 2016 to seek restoration of section 20 of the Act,” she had said, terming it “squarely against the government’s stated policy and the principle of standing for and ensuring freedom of expression.”

So, she had said: “Please note that this petition stands withdrawn immediately.”

Read more: FIA approaches Supreme Court against revocation of PECA

Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Saturday challenged the decision of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) against the revocation of the PECA in the Supreme Court. The petitioner had pleaded to the apex court to repeal the order of the IHC of April 6.