Lahore (GNP): The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has issued fresh notices to television actor Momina Iqbal and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) MPA Saqib Chadhar after new evidence emerged in the harassment case involving the two.
Both parties have been summoned to appear at the NCCIA office in Lahore on Friday, September 4, as the agency moves forward with a renewed inquiry into the matter. A special investigation team, headed by a deputy director, has been constituted to examine the newly obtained digital evidence alongside records already available in the case.
NCCIA Punjab’s Deputy Director Waqas Saeed said the team has been given one month to complete its investigation and submit a report to the agency’s director general, adding that further legal action would be determined based on the findings. He also noted that it would be premature to characterize either individual as guilty or innocent before the inquiry concludes, reflecting the agency’s approach of allowing the process to run its course before drawing conclusions.
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Alongside the fresh notices, a Lahore court disposed of pre-arrest interim bail petitions filed by Chadhar and his wife, after the current investigating officer told the court that their arrest was not required at this stage. This marked a shift from an earlier hearing in July, when a previous investigating officer had indicated a different assessment of the case, underscoring how the investigation itself has evolved as new evidence has come to light.
The case originated from a complaint Iqbal filed in May, in which she alleged she had faced online harassment for an extended period and stated she had repeatedly raised the matter with relevant authorities beforehand. Following the complaint, the NCCIA registered a case and both parties were summoned for questioning, with Chadhar’s counsel maintaining that the two had known each other for several years and disputing the allegations raised against him.
The NCCIA’s decision to issue fresh notices and constitute a dedicated investigation team reflects the agency’s stated commitment to basing any further action on a thorough review of the evidence, with both parties set to have the opportunity to respond to the new developments when they appear before the agency this week.
