February 28, 2026
By Aitzaz Ibrahim
LAHORE
A judicial magistrate on February 27, rejected the post-arrest bail application of Hamza Ahmad Khan, a Canadian national and doctoral candidate, in a case registered under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), 2016.
The order was issued by Judicial Magistrate Naeem Wattoo after hearing arguments from the prosecution and defence.
Khan has been booked by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) under Sections 20, 24, and 26A of PECA for allegedly disseminating online content described by investigators as derogatory towards state institutions and constitutional functionaries.
During the hearing, the investigating officer told the court that the accused had uploaded posts aimed at harming the reputation of state functionaries and institutions. The prosecution opposed the bail plea, maintaining that the allegations involved serious accusations affecting public confidence in state bodies.
‘No reason to keep him in custody’
On behalf of the petitioner, Advocate Asad Jamal stated that his client had been falsely accused.
He further said that the case relied on digital evidence, which required careful verification, and argued that there was no reason to keep the petitioner in custody.
In the written order, the magistrate observed that allegations relating to campaigns against heads of institutions and constitutional office holders could not be considered minor in nature. The court noted that in the digital age, content circulated on social media platforms could have immediate and wide-ranging consequences. It further stated that such material had the potential to undermine institutional authority and create instability.
Concluding that the matter required thorough judicial scrutiny, the magistrate declined to grant bail.
Following the ruling, Advocate Asad Jamal, representing the accused, criticised the order in a statement to Voicepk.
He said the “order passed by Judicial Magistrate Naeem Wattoo is not based on the correct understanding of law and jurisprudence in cases where Sections 20, 24, and 26A of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016 are concerned, so far as bail proceedings are concerned. It is essentially a non-speaking order, which does not address the arguments and the judgments of high courts and the Supreme Court of Pakistan that were submitted before him. The magistrate has ignored a long stream of case law from superior courts, which is binding, and which holds that granting bail in such cases should be the norm, and that guilt could only be determined at trial. Our arguments and the judgments we relied on have not even been discussed in denying bail. Instead, the judgments the learned magistrate relies on are not even remotely relevant to Hamza Khan’s case.
Hamza Ahmad Khan, who is a PhD candidate at the University of Toronto, is being punished without his guilt having been established. It seems the state has decided to turn the process into punishment. We intend to challenge the order by filing a petition before the District Court as soon as possible. We hope justice will be served even if it is delayed.”
Ahmad who is pursuing his PhD at the University of Toronto, had arrived in Pakistan on February 13 for research related to his doctoral thesis.
aimed at harming the reputation of state functionaries and institutions. The prosecution opposed the bail plea, maintaining that the allegations involved serious accusations affecting public confidence in state bodies.
On behalf of the petitioner, Advocate Asad Jamal stated that his client had been falsely accused.
He further said that the case relied on digital evidence, which required careful verification, and argued that there was no reason to keep the petitioner in custody.
In the written order, the magistrate observed that allegations relating to campaigns against heads of institutions and constitutional office holders could not be considered minor in nature. The court noted that in the digital age, content circulated on social media platforms could have immediate and wide-ranging consequences. It further stated that such material had the potential to undermine institutional authority and create instability.
Concluding that the matter required thorough judicial scrutiny, the magistrate declined to grant bail.
Following the ruling, Advocate Asad Jamal, representing the accused, criticised the order in a statement to Voicepk. He said the “order passed by Judicial Magistrate Naeem Wattoo is not based on the correct understanding of law and jurisprudence in cases where Sections 20, 24, and 26A of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016 are concerned, so far as bail proceedings are concerned. It is essentially a non-speaking order, which does not address the arguments and the judgments of high courts and the Supreme Court of Pakistan that were submitted before him. The magistrate has ignored a long stream of case law from superior courts, which is binding, and which holds that granting bail in such cases should be the norm, and that guilt could only be determined at trial. Our arguments and the judgments we relied on have not even been discussed in denying bail. Instead, the judgments the learned magistrate relies on are not even remotely relevant to Hamza Khan’s case.
Hamza Ahmad Khan, who is a PhD candidate at the University of Toronto, is being punished without his guilt having been established. It seems the state has decided to turn the process into punishment. We intend to challenge the order by filing a petition before the District Court as soon as possible. We hope justice will be served even if it is delayed.”
Khan, who is pursuing his PhD at the University of Toronto, arrived in Pakistan on February 13 for research related to his doctoral thesis. He reportedly went missing in Lahore between the night of February 18 and 19 while travelling in a Yango cab. A police report was registered regarding his disappearance.
On February 23, it emerged that he had been taken into custody by the NCCIA in connection with alleged anti-state content shared on social media.ly went missing in Lahore between the night of February 18 and 19 while travelling in a Yango cab. A police report was registered regarding his disappearance.
On February 23, it emerged that he had been taken into custody by the NCCIA in connection with alleged anti-state content shared on social media.