Karachi: Cyber Crime officials from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) have arrested TV journalist and founder of the YouTube channel “Raftar” over alleged offensive and controversial content.
The arrest followed months after FIA summoned Farhan Mallick and officials on another digital platform. According to FIA Cyber Crime officials, content shared by Raftar was deemed to portray the military establishment in a negative light.
Mallick’s family stated that he had gone to the FIA office for a meeting but was detained without any explanation.
His son took to social media, alleging that FIA officials had harassed his father and his team the previous evening before summoning him for questioning.
The family has expressed serious concerns over the lack of transparency, claiming that no formal charges or arrest documents have been provided, and they were not informed about the specific reasons for his detention.
The YouTube channel, which has over half a million subscribers, condemned the FIA’s actions in a public statement, criticizing the lack of transparency and alleging harassment of their team members.
Meanwhile, journalists and human rights activists have strongly condemned Mallick’s arrest. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has demanded his immediate release and called for a transparent investigation into the matter.
They urged the government to prevent agencies like the FIA from exceeding their authority and to safeguard freedom of expression as guaranteed by Pakistan’s Constitution.
Mallick has faced issues with federal authorities in the past. He was previously detained at Karachi Airport, where his passport and phone were confiscated without explanation.
He later had to file a petition to have his name removed from a list that had led to his detention, describing the incident as an arbitrary violation of his rights.