The District and Sessions Court in Islamabad granted bail to journalist Waheed Murad on Friday after he was arrested under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA).
Murad was brought before the court following a two-day physical remand.
Officials from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) presented him before Judicial Magistrate Abbas Shah, who, after the hearing, ordered that Murad be sent to jail on judicial remand.
During the proceedings, the magistrate questioned the FIA about the material recovered from Murad.
In response, his lawyer, Imaan Mazari, argued that Murad had only quoted Akhtar Mengal’s words in a social media post.
Another lawyer, Hadi Ali Chatha, also clarified that Murad’s tweet was based on Mengal’s statement.
After considering the arguments, the court approved Murad’s bail upon the submission of Rs50,000 surety bonds.
Earlier, Murad’s mother-in-law had filed a petition with lawyers Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chatha demanding his recovery.
The petition listed several senior officials as respondents, including the interior secretary, defense secretary, Islamabad’s police chief, and the station house officer (SHO) of the Karachi Company police station.
Despite a complaint being filed at the Karachi Company police station, no formal FIR was registered.
The petition urged immediate efforts to find Murad and called for legal action against those allegedly responsible for his disappearance.