Court approves two-day physical remand of BOL News journalist Shahid Aslam

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 15 January 2023

Shahid Aslam, a journalist with BOL News, was arrested by the FIA for allegedly leaking General Bajwa's tax information. A local court has sanctioned a two-day physical remand for him.

Summary

ISLAMABAD–The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) arrested BOL News journalist Shahid Aslam in Lahore on Saturday for his alleged role in leaking the personal tax data of former army chief General (Retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa.

The arrest came after investigative news website FactFocus published a report in November accusing the army chief and his family of amassing assets worth Rs12.7 billion over the past six years, citing tax records and wealth statements of the Bajwa family to corroborate its claims.

Aslam was presented before a local court in Islamabad, where his lawyer argued that there was no proof that Aslam received any [leaked] information and had then passed it on to someone else. The court approved a two-day physical remand of the journalist.

After being escorted out of court, Aslam claimed to be a professional journalist with multiple sources. According to him, “They are asking me for passwords. I won’t give the passwords.”

The journalist community has condemned the act as an attack on the freedom of expression and rights.