ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad police on Monday booked journalists Shaheen Sehbai and Wajahat Saeed Khan, as well as Youtuber Adil Raja and anchorperson Syed Haider Raza Mehdi for “abetting mutiny” and inciting people to attack military installations across the country on May 9 — the day violent protests erupted following PTI chief Imran Khan’s arrest.
During the protest, military installations — including the Lahore corps commander’s residence — and state properties were damaged across Pakistan.
In a first information report (FIR) registered on Monday, complainant Muhammad Aslam said he was passing by the capital’s G-11 locality on May 9 when he saw 20-25 people sharing “screenshots of tweets and video messages” of Raja, Wajahat, Mehdi and Sehbai.
The FIR, registered at the Ramna police station, invoked sections 120B (punishment of criminal conspiracy), 121 (waging or attempting to wage war or abetting waging of war against Pakistan), 121A (conspiracy to commit offences punishable by Section 121), and 131 (abetting mutiny, or attempting to seduce a soldier, sailor or airman from his duty).
It also included sections 7 (punishment for acts of terrorism) and 21A (cordons for Terrorist Investigation) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997.
“They were inciting people to attack military installations, spread terrorism and create chaos in the country,” he alleged.
Aslam stated in the complaint that he checked the social media accounts of the four men after the incident.
“After looking at their social media, it was confirmed that all these people, under a planned conspiracy and mutual agreement, are aiding anti-state agencies, defaming the military and attempting to create mutiny in the army,” the complainant claimed.
He further alleged that the persons nominated in the FIR wanted to “weaken the army” and “increase terrorism” in the country.
The complaint added that the accused indulged in “foolish talks” against the army with the aim to “incite terrorist activities and spread fear in the government”.
“Moreover, their purpose is to attack government and military installations and create chaos through terrorism,” Aslam alluded and demanded that criminal action should be taken against the social media accounts of the accused persons.
