LHC restrains NCCIA from action against journalist Imran Shafqat

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 4 August 2026 |  JP Staff Report

Lahore High Court restrained NCCIA Multan from acting against journalist Imran Shafqat while it considers his petition challenging the agency's territorial jurisdiction; the court ordered him to respond by August 4 and adjourned the hearing to August 12.

Summary

LAHORE — The Lahore High Court has restrained the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) Multan from taking disciplinary action against senior journalist Imran Shafqat while hearing a constitutional petition challenging the agency's jurisdiction to investigate him.

Justice Khalid Ishaq issued the interim order after hearing arguments by Advocate Mian Dawood, counsel for Shafqat, who contended that NCCIA Multan lacked territorial jurisdiction to initiate proceedings against a Lahore resident. The court directed Shafqat to submit a response to the NCCIA notice by August 4, either personally or through legal counsel, and adjourned further proceedings until August 12.

Jurisdiction challenge at center of case

According to statements issued by Mian Dawood Law Associates on X on August 3 and August 4, the petition argues that NCCIA Multan acted beyond its notified territorial limits by entertaining a complaint and initiating an inquiry against a resident outside its jurisdiction.

The lawyer further alleged that the inquiry was initiated following a request by Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, describing the proceedings as exceeding the agency's legal authority. The statements also asserted that superior courts have repeatedly ruled that investigations conducted beyond an authority's lawful territorial jurisdiction violate constitutional protections. These claims have been made by the petitioner's legal team and have not been independently verified by JournalismPakistan.

Written response submitted to NCCIA

On August 4, Shafqat, through his legal representatives, submitted a written response to the NCCIA inquiry officer in Multan. According to Mian Dawood Law Associates, lawyers from its Multan office, including Advocate Farukh Taimoor, filed the response, which was acknowledged by the inquiry officer.

The response reiterates the jurisdictional objection, arguing that NCCIA Multan cannot lawfully receive complaints, register inquiries, or initiate criminal proceedings involving individuals residing outside its officially notified territorial boundaries. It maintains that judicial precedent has established that investigations conducted beyond such limits are legally void.

Press freedom arguments raised

In his written reply, Shafqat also argued that no cognizable or non-cognizable offense arose from a program broadcast on his YouTube channel on July 15 and that his news reporting, analysis, and commentary are protected under Pakistan's Constitution.

According to the response, any action against a journalist over such content would be inconsistent with Articles 4, 9, 10A, 15, and 19 of the Constitution. The submission further states that courts in Pakistan and other jurisdictions have consistently recognized press freedom as a cornerstone of democratic governance.

The Lahore High Court is scheduled to resume hearing the constitutional petition on August 12.

ATTRIBUTION: Based on social media posts published by Mian Dawood Law Associates on X on August 3 and August 4, 2026. The court schedule and legal positions described in this story are drawn from those public statements. JournalismPakistan has not independently verified the allegations made by the petitioner's legal team beyond the contents of those statements.

PHOTO: AI-generated; for illustrative purposes only.