Independent journalist Muhammad Bilal Ghauri, who covers news via his popular YouTube channel, was detained in Islamabad on September 6, 2026.
Ghauri’s family reported him missing after he disappeared from an office on the ground floor of his home. Authorities later confirmed that he had been detained by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), which launched a criminal investigation against him for allegedly violating Pakistan’s Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA), which makes the dissemination of “fake or false” information a criminal offense.
An Islamabad district court initially granted the agency three days’ physical remand of the journalist on September 6, and on September 10 the court extended that custody for another two days.
Ghauri’s detention follows commentary posted to his X account about the circumstances surrounding Major General Faisal Naseer’s appointment as national coordinator of the National Counter Terrorism Authority.
On September 16, a judicial magistrate granted Ghauri post-arrest bail and ordered that he be released if he was not required in another case.
Ghauri has faced scrutiny in the past for his journalism. In June 2021, the Federal Investigation Agency summoned him for questioning over alleged online defamation.
Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar did not respond to CPJ’s text message requesting comment.