Pak agency arrests Canadian citizen for social media posts against state institutions

Pakistan's anti-cybercrime body has arrested a Canadian citizen, presumed missing since last week in Lahore, for uploading social media posts against the state institutions and functionaries. Canadian research scholar Hamza Ahmad Khan arrived in Pakistan on February 13 to work on his PhD thesis 'anti-imperialist politics' and was staying in the Defence Housing Authority Lahore. He was presumed to be kidnapped by unidentified men on Feb 19, and a case was registered in this regard. On Monday, it emerged that Khan was in the custody of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), which produced him before a magistrate who sent him to 14 days' judicial remand. According to the NCCIA, ''it has been identified that specific user accounts on the social media platforms -- @hamzakk and Instagram user Il) @cvcrything.is.political -- are actively disseminating misinformation and disinformation targeting the state institutions, including the armed forces. The nature of these posts is inflammatory and appears designed to incite public unrest, spread animosity, and undermine social order.'' The agency said the propagation of such malicious content poses a significant risk, with the potential to cause severe reputational damage to the state of Pakistan both domestically and internationally. ''Such mischievous statements/posts render dire consequences nationally and internationally for the state of Pakistan,'' it added. Khan has been booked under sections 20,24,26A of PECA (Amended 2025). Political activist Ammar Ali Jan said he had recently met Hamza Ahmad Khan in Lahore. He said Khan was working on anti-imperialist politics. ''This regime is waging a relentless attack on dissent,'' he lambasted. Earlier, Lahore Police said they were clueless about who ''abducted'' the Canadian citizen.