Lahore: A Lahore sessions court on Thursday disposed of the prearrest interim bail petitions of PML N Member of Provincial Assembly (MPA) Saqib Chadhar and his wife, following confirmation from the NCCIA that the suspects have been cleared of harassment and blackmail charges.
The court disposition came after the newly assigned investigating officer, Hassan Sajjad Naqvi, presented an updated inquiry report stating that the arrest of Chadhar and his wife was not required at the present stage. Consequently, the lawmaker’s legal team withdrew their prearrest bail applications. The decision marks a sharp reversal from previous court proceedings. During a hearing on July 28, the former investigating officer, Station House Officer Najam Bajwa, had informed the court that the NCCIA had found Chadhar guilty following its initial probe.
According to agency documents, the direction of the case altered after the suspects requested are investigation based on fresh defence evidence. Complainant Momina Iqbal was summoned by the NCCIA on 1 September to record her statement regarding the new material, leading to the updated findings presented to the court.
Appearing in court alongside her counsel, Adnan Ehsan, Iqbal strongly contested the agency's conclusions. Ehsan argued that the NCCIA had replaced the primary investigation team without taking the complainant into confidence. He alleged that the new investigating officer cleared the lawmaker prematurely before completing a thorough inquiry, urging the court to examine both the procedural changes and the decision to declare the suspects innocent.
The legal proceedings stem from a formal complaint lodged by Iqbal in May, in which the television actor publicly alleged that she and her family had been subjected to prolonged online harassment, cyberbullying, and death threats. In subsequent filings with the police and the NCCIA, Iqbal detailed that the lawmaker had initiated abusive behaviour, coercive WhatsApp communications, and blackmail after she rejected his marriage proposal upon discovering he was already married.
Following widespread public interest and a directive from the Punjab Chief Minister's Office emphasising an uncompromising stance on cyber harassment and political intimidation, the NCCIA registered a formal case on June 4. The first information report included charges under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) covering cyber stalking and offences against modesty alongside relevant sections of the Pakistan Penal Code about criminal intimidation and abetment.
With the bail petitions formally disposed of as withdrawn following the NCCIA's clearance, the complainant's legal team is expected to challenge the agency's revised investigation report in higher judicial forums.
