A local magistrate’s court has granted a three-day physical remand for the suspect arrested by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Cyber Crime Wing for allegedly running a social media campaign against Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and the United Arab Emirates president.

Bilal Malik, the suspect, had been arrested by the FIA Cyber Crime Cell in Lahore following allegations of launching an online smear campaign targeting the Punjab CM and other high-profile figures.

During the court hearing, the FIA informed the magistrate that further investigation was necessary to determine the extent of the accused’s activities.

The FIA also disclosed that a broader inquiry is underway against the suspect into the social media campaign, with investigations extending to other individuals linked to similar campaigns.

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On the other hand, the FIA Faisalabad has also registered a case for running a campaign against the Punjab chief minister on social media. The case has been registered against a suspect, Shahzad, on the complaint of Muhammad Shahid.

A joint investigation team has been formed under the FIA cyber crimes additional director, including deputy directors of Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Multan and Lahore. The team is tasked with identifying and apprehending other suspects involved in running defamatory campaigns on social media platforms.

Sarfaraz Chaudhry, the additional director, stated, "Raids are ongoing to apprehend all those involved in this coordinated campaign. The accused linked to Faisalabad will also be arrested soon."