Journalist Sohrab Barkat seeks Supreme Court bail

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 10 February 2026 |  JP Staff Report

Lawyers for journalist Sohrab Barkat have filed a post-arrest bail petition in Pakistan's Supreme Court after he spent more than two months in custody. As the first case under amended PECA, it could shape limits on journalism and free speech.

Summary

ISLAMABAD — Lawyers for journalist Sohrab Barkat have filed a post-arrest bail application in the Supreme Court of Pakistan, marking the first case under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act amendments to reach the country’s highest court. Barkat has been in custody for more than two months, and his legal team says the case presents a key opportunity to clarify the boundaries of free speech and journalism under the new law.

Bail filing highlights PECA scrutiny

Barkat’s lawyer, Saad Rasool, said the application should be scheduled for a hearing in the coming week. He noted that since the PECA amendments came into effect, several journalists and civil society members have faced incarceration or criminal charges under the legislation. Barkat’s case is the first to reach the Supreme Court, potentially setting a precedent for how similar cases are handled.

Yesterday, we filed @SohrabBarkatt’s post-arrest bail before the hon’ble Supreme Court of Pakistan. It should be fixed for hearing in the coming week.

Since enactment of the PECA Amendments, several journalists and civil society members have been facing incarceration and… pic.twitter.com/g8kBKsM5qP

— Saad Rasool (@SaadRasooll) February 10, 2026

Background on detention

Barkat was detained by the Federal Investigation Agency at Islamabad Airport in November last year while traveling to attend a conference. His detention occurred despite an earlier Islamabad High Court order directing authorities to remove his name from the Provisional National Identification List as of October 31, 2025. This sequence of events has added to concerns about legal overreach and administrative compliance in cases involving journalists.

Custody extended amid multiple cases

Earlier, the Lahore High Court had dismissed Barkat’s bail application in a third case, extending his custody beyond two months. The judgment, released about ten days after being reserved by Justice M. Jawad Zafar, has drawn concern from both media and legal circles in Pakistan.

According to Rasool, the Lahore High Court denied bail primarily because Barkat had been declared an absconder in a case registered by the Federal Investigation Agency and the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency. Barkat remains in custody despite having already secured bail in two other cases filed against him.

Rasool disputed the basis of the court’s finding, stating that the FIA or NCCIA had never summoned Barkat in connection with any first information report, nor had he been served with a court notice declaring him an absconder. He maintained that Barkat was unaware of any pending case at the time he was set to travel.

WHY THIS MATTERS: This case illustrates the growing legal risks for Pakistani journalists under PECA amendments and highlights the Supreme Court’s potential role in defining the limits of digital speech. Media organizations and journalists should closely monitor this case for its implications on legal strategy, newsroom practices, and press freedom protections.

ATTRIBUTION: Reporting based on public statements from Sohrab Barkat’s lawyer and Lahore High Court and Islamabad High Court filings.

PHOTO: Supreme Court of Pakistan (Facebook)