The court has reserved its decision on the bail application of journalist Farhan Mallick, with the ruling set to be announced by the Judicial Magistrate East in Karachi tomorrow.

The court has summoned the Director of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to appear in person.

During the hearing led by Magistrate Yasri Ashfaq, the court expressed displeasure over the arrest of the accused in a different case without prior approval. A show-cause notice was issued to the investigating officer in response to this.

Defense attorney Moiz Jafri argued that the case against Mallick is malicious, stating that the FIA has failed to clarify the nature of the alleged crime. He stated that merely labeling something as anti-state is insufficient without specifying which report or piece of news is considered anti-state, as no particular word has been identified.

The lawyer further contended that the FIA’s narrative suggests that running a website is a crime, yet they have not indicated which institution has been disrespected by Mallick.

He pointed out that no formal complaint had been lodged against Mallick by any organization, and highlighted that the raid took place in District East, but the case has been registered in Malir.

The defense attorney questioned the legality of transferring Mallick to jail only to have him subsequently taken into custody for another case, to which the court responded by questioning the feasibility of this action.

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The investigating officer explained that he was present in court for the other case when he learned of Mallick’s arrest, leading the court to remark that this was a blatant violation of the law.

The court demanded to know who had ordered Mallick ’s arrest in violation of legal procedures.

The investigating officer admitted that he had received a call from the office and was prompted to reveal that the call came from a clerk.

The judge ordered the appearance of the officers responsible for this breach of protocol. During the proceedings, the investigating officer alleged that Farhan Mallick had mocked the name of Pakistan in a post that contained inappropriate comments, questioning if a responsible journalist could behave in such a manner.

He claimed that the accused was informed of all relevant issues prior to the proceedings.