On September 10, a judicial magistrate extended the physical remand of journalist and vlogger Bilal Ghouri by two days after the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) sought an additional six days for its investigation.

Authorities directed that Ghouri be produced before the court again on September 12.

Ghouri was initially taken into custody in a case concerning the alleged dissemination of false information registered against him under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA). A judicial magistrate in Islamabad had granted the NCCIA a three-day physical remand of Ghouri, which concluded before this latest court session.

During the hearing at the District and Sessions Court, Judicial Magistrate Malik Aman heard the arguments presented by both the defence and the prosecution regarding the extension of Ghouri’s remand before reserving its ruling.

The defence, led by counsel Imran Shafiq, contested the necessity of prolonging the remand, pointing out that all pertinent devices and accounts were already seized by the authorities.

The investigating officer revealed difficulties in accessing Ghouri’s accounts due to two-factor authentication.