Court grants post-arrest bail to podcast host Rehan Tariq in blasphemy case

A sessions court in Lahore on Tuesday granted post-arrest bail to podcast host Rehan Tariq in a case lodged under Pakistan’s blasphemy laws and the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016, according to a monitored public feed based on Dawn’s report.

Tariq was arrested by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) at Lahore’s international airport after arriving from abroad. The case, registered on June 25, was filed under Section 11 of PECA, along with sections 153-A, 295-A and 298 of the Pakistan Penal Code, which relate to hate speech, promoting enmity between groups, outraging religious feelings and uttering words or making gestures intended to wound those feelings.

During Tuesday’s hearing, defence counsel Mian Dawood argued that the prosecution had not produced evidence linking his client to the social media material mentioned in the case. He maintained that interviewing a guest and asking questions on historical or religious subjects fell within constitutionally protected journalistic work. The lawyer also said the first information report did not identify which questions were allegedly objectionable.

Dawood further told the court that opinions from prominent religious scholars had stated the questions did not amount to disrespect toward any revered Islamic personality. He also argued that Tariq was entitled to bail because the prosecution had not met the requirements of Section 196 of the Criminal Procedure Code. According to the defence, the offences fell within the non-prohibitory clause, the investigation had already been completed, no further recovery was needed and the matter required further inquiry.

The NCCIA opposed the plea. Station House Officer Najam Bajwa argued before the court that Tariq had deliberately asked controversial questions in a way that could trigger religious and sectarian discord. He also acknowledged that the religious scholar featured as the guest on the podcast had not been named in the FIR. The agency urged the court to reject the bail request.

After hearing both sides, Additional District and Sessions Judge Nusrat Ali Siddiqi approved the bail plea against surety bonds of Rs100,000. Earlier, a judicial magistrate had refused post-arrest bail, saying no case had been made out for the “extraordinary concession” of bail.

The FIR said the podcast involved discussion of highly sensitive and controversial sectarian issues and that the conversation had allegedly stirred controversy among followers of different sects. The NCCIA had sought and obtained Tariq’s six-day physical remand earlier this month.

In a separate reference noted in the feed, the NCCIA also arrested 11 social media activists in Punjab in May over allegations of “anti-state propaganda and inciting unrest.”

The report is based on a monitored public feed and is attributed to Dawn Home. Source: Dawn Home - https://www.dawn.com/news/2017270/court-grants-post-arrest-bail-to-podcast-host-rehan-tariq-in-blasphemy-case