According to FIR, the agency — which operates under the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) — registered the case on December 29, 2025, under Sections 20 and 24 of the PECA (Amendment) Act 2025.
The first information report (FIR) was lodged on the complaint of Tabish Raza Husnain, who accused the journalist of running a defamatory campaign against him and a colleague, Col Anjum, on various Facebook and WhatsApp groups. The complainant alleged that Aslam Shah made false and baseless allegations and used abusive language, causing him mental distress and reputational harm.
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In its report, the NCCIA stated that the complainant’s statement had been recorded and screenshots of the allegedly defamatory content were submitted as evidence. The agency claimed that the material indicated the active involvement of the accused’s in a defamation campaign.
The report further stated that the journalist had been served multiple notices to appear before the agency and record his statement but had allegedly avoided participating in the inquiry. His continued absence, the agency added, strengthened the presumption of culpability.
Aslam Shah has been reporting on municipal affairs in Karachi, particularly focusing on alleged irregularities in the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC). He had also published a similar report in recent days. Following these reports, officials of the KWSC submitted a defamation complaint to the FIA.
It is learnt that Aslam Shah was summoned to the KWSC office on Tuesday to discuss a news report, where NCCIA officials were already present and they arrested him.
In the defamation case, the NCCIA has obtained a 14-day physical remand of the journalist.
Reacting to the arrest, Javed Chaudhry, Assistant Secretary General of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), expressed surprise over the duration of the remand, stating that defamation cases typically involve a maximum remand of seven days. He said the 14-day remand suggested the involvement of influential individuals and added that the PFUJ would stage protests and demand amendments to the PECA law.
Karachi Press Club President Fazil Jamili strongly condemned the arrest, calling the PECA law a ‘black law’ and demanded the immediate release of the journalist.
Meanwhile, AH Khanzada, Secretary General of the Karachi Union of Journalists (Dastoor), termed the PECA law ‘the biggest example of lawlessness’, saying journalists had neither accepted the law in the past nor would they accept it now.