Asad Toor remanded in FIA custody for smear campaign against CJ

ISLAMABAD: A district and sessions court of Islamabad Sunday remanded vlogger and journalist Asad Toor for three days into the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) custody for his alleged embroilment in a social media smear campaign against the top judge of Pakistan, Geo News reported.

Toor’s lawyers opposed the FIA plea seeking the suspect’s remand for nine days.

After completion of the arguments, the Islamabad court announced its reserved verdict in favour of the FIA’s plea and granted the vlogger’s remand for three days.

During arguments before Duty Magistrate Abbas Shah, Toor said he would neither surrender his mobile phone nor reveal his sources as sources were the most important thing for a journalist. He apprised the court that he was on a hunger strike. They provided him food but he willingly did not eat anything, he said.

A journalist present in the courtroom made Toor end his hunger strike. The vlogger was on a hunger strike since his detention by the FIA on February 27.

"Toor has not eaten anything in the last 36 hours," his counsel had told the media about Toor’s health on February 29.

“The FIA also called rescue personnel after Toor fell sick last night,” he maintained.

Imaan Mazari, Toor’s other lawyer, had said that the investigation done so far had nothing to do with contempt of judges.

“He is being pressurised to reveal his sources and social media accounts passwords. Asad Toor is denying to share his journalistic sources,” she said.

On February 27, Judicial Magistrate Islamabad Muhammad Shabbir had sent the vlogger on a five-day physical remand and directed the agency to produce the accused again on March 3, 2024.

According to the FIR against Toor, the vlogger allegedly ran a malicious campaign against the judiciary on social media platforms X and YouTube.

It added that he had fueled anti-state activities through social media and he has been booked under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016.