The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Tuesday continued a nationwide operation against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's (PTI) social media activists accused of spreading false propaganda about state institutions and the armed forces. Acting on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's directives, the FIA has registered 153 cases and arrested 23 PTI propagandists so far. In Lahore and other districts of Punjab, 69 FIRs were registered, while Islamabad recorded 52 cases. Karachi saw 16 FIRs, Sukkur 4, Hyderabad 5, and Quetta 7. Yesterday, the FIA arrested Shakeeb Qaimkhani, a PTI Youth Wing vice president and UC chairman from Hyderabad, for allegedly disseminating fake propaganda against state institutions.

The FIA accused Qaimkhani of frequently spreading false narratives online. Previously, on December 6, the FIA Cyber Crime Wing registered cases against seven individuals from Karachi, accusing them of spreading anti-state content through WhatsApp groups and X accounts. The accused include Muhammad Sohail, Muhammad Junaid, Sheikh Muhammad Ihsan, Tariq Jamil, Syed Rizwan, Muhammad Ahmed, and Babar Azeem. On December 2, the federal government formed a 10-member joint task force, led by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) chairman, to identify those involved in anti-state activities online. Members of the ISI, MI, IB, FIA, and IT Ministry are part of this force.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)