Islamabad court orders FIR against Punjab CM's aide

ISLAMABAD: A sessions court in Islamabad on Thursday ordered registration of a first information report (FIR) against Special Assistant to Punjab Chief Minister on Investment Sardar Tanveer Ilyas for harassing a man through WhatsApp and sending him "sexually explicit videos".

The orders were issued by Additional Sessions Judge Muhammad Ata Rabbani while hearing a petition filed by complainant Khawaja Faheem. According to the petitioner's counsel, Imran Feroz Malik, his client met Ilyas at the Centaurus Mall in October 2019 during the launching ceremony of a private project. Subsequently, Ilyas - who according to the petitioner is the owner of Centaurus Mall - invited him to his residence for Iftar dinner which Faheem accepted considering it a business meeting.

Following the meeting, the CM's adviser sent a few messages along with "sexually explicit videos" to Faheem from his WhatsApp number, which the latter found disturbing, and which caused him "mental agony and trauma", according to his lawyer. Consequently, he reported the matter to the FIA's Cyber Crime Cell, Faheem's lawyer said.

After the case was taken to the sessions court by the complainant, the FIA submitted its reply, saying the forensic analysis was conducted on the mobile phone of the petitioner and it transpired he had in fact received the video. Following submission of the forensic report by the FIA, the court issued an order on July 6, asking the agency to register an FIR "without further delay".

In his order, the judge noted that "despite the forensic report, the FIA did not initiate proceedings on flimsy ground that the inquiry is underway."