NCCIA notices to two journalists raise due process concerns

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

Two journalists, Azaz Syed and Asad Toor, said the NCCIA issued back-to-back notices within a short period, prompting them to question the clarity of the allegations and the fairness of the process. Posting on X, Syed said the notices contained no clear allegations, while Toor said he was given insufficient time to prepare a defence and cited his previous arrest following an NCCIA summons in 2024.

Summary

ISLAMABAD — Two Pakistani journalists have publicly questioned the process followed by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) after receiving multiple notices within a short period, raising concerns about whether they were given sufficient clarity and opportunity to respond before investigative proceedings.

Journalists Azaz Syed and Asad Toor, writing separately on X on Tuesday, said they had received back-to-back notices from the NCCIA. While the cases involve different underlying matters, both described compressed timelines and questioned aspects of the procedure adopted by the agency.

Journalists describe notice process

Syed said he had been served two NCCIA notices within two days and claimed that neither notice contained "any clear allegations." He said he would appear before the agency, describing himself as a law-abiding citizen, and concluded his post by thanking Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi.

Toor said an NCCIA investigating officer served him two notices within the span of a few hours, describing them as his "last opportunity" to present a defence the following day. He said he prepared documentary evidence to respond to allegations of disseminating false information, adding that his video commentaries had cited reports by other journalists and information contained in a petition filed by Aleema Khan before the Islamabad High Court regarding the alleged solitary confinement of former Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Lawyer says defence was not accepted

Referring to his arrest following an earlier NCCIA summons in February 2024, Toor said he decided not to appear in person and instead sent his lawyer, Musaddiq Khattak, to submit a written defence on his behalf. According to Toor, the investigating officer declined to accept the written submission. JournalismPakistan has not independently verified that claim.

Toor said he subsequently sent his defence to the NCCIA by courier and made the document public on social media, arguing that the sequence of events raised concerns that the summons process was not intended to provide him with a meaningful opportunity to present his case.

Broader debate over due process

Although the notices relate to separate matters and no official details of the allegations have been made public, both journalists questioned the manner in which the notices were issued, citing either an absence of specific allegations or what they described as insufficient time to respond.

The developments come amid continued scrutiny of the NCCIA's handling of investigations involving journalists and online speech. In recent months, courts and lawmakers have examined aspects of the agency's procedures, with the Lahore High Court stressing that enforcement actions must remain within the bounds of the law and the Senate Standing Committee on Information and Broadcasting also reviewing concerns about notices issued to journalists and newspapers.

JournalismPakistan will incorporate any public response issued by the NCCIA into this story when it becomes available.

ATTRIBUTION: Based on social media posts published by journalists Azaz Syed and Asad Toor on August 4, 2026. Additional context is based on publicly available court proceedings and reporting on NCCIA-related legal developments.

PHOTO: AI-generated; for illustrative purposes only.