Lahore court extends pre-arrest bail of PML-N MPA accused of harassing television actress Momina Iqbal

LAHORE: A sessions court on Monday extended the interim pre-arrest bail of PML-N MPA Saqib Chadhar and his wife, both of whom have been facing legal proceedings for allegedly harassing television actress Momina Iqbal, till July 28.

Chadhar appeared before the court accompanied by his lawyers, while his wife was absent from the proceedings.

During the hearing, the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) investigating officer sought more time to complete the investigation.

Subsequently, Additional District and Sessions Judge Nusrat Ali Siddiqi extended the couple’s bail until July 28, directing the IO to submit a progress report at the next hearing.

The NCCIA had registered the case against Chadhar and his wife early last month on a complaint filed by Iqbal.

The case was registered under Sections 3 (unauthorised access to information system or data), 4 (unauthorised copying or transmission of data), 21 (offences against modesty of a natural person and minor) and 24 (cyber stalking) of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca), read with Sections 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence, or giving false information to screen offender), 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) and 109 (punishment for abetment if the act abetted is committed in consequence and where no express provision is made for its punishment) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

According to the first information report (FIR), a copy of which is available with Dawn, Iqbal alleged in her complaint that Chadhar, his wife and their “known and unknown associates have waged a sustained campaign of cyber harassment, stalking, criminal intimidation, blackmailing, defamation, unlawful surveillance, and threats against her and her family”.

She also alleged that after rejecting Chadhar’s marriage proposal upon discovering his existing marriage, he “retaliated with repeated threats, attempts to access her private data, sending violent content, and blackmailing via her private videos”.

“The accused (Chadhar) allegedly defamed her socially and professionally, sabotaged her 2023 marriage proposal through false information, and recently intensified threats to leak private material, harm her and her fiance, and disrupt her upcoming marriage, causing severe emotional, reputational and professional harm,” the FIR stated. ...