ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) cybercrime wing has asserted that they had suspended an official for acting as the unofficial spokesperson for the agency.
According to a statement by the wing’s spokesman on Facebook, “Assistant Director Asif Iqbal was suspended and issued an explanation for maintaining a private Twitter account bearing CCW which stands for CyberCrime Wing.”
https://www.facebook.com/CyberCrimeFIA/posts/3394069643994572
“He was acting as the spokesman of the wing on his own accord without permission which is against disciplinary rules,” the statement added.
Earlier, FIA Cybercrime Wing Director Amir Farooqi issued a notification and suspended the official, Muhammad Asif Iqbal, with immediate effect.
According to a private news channel, neither a show-cause notice was issued to Iqbal, nor any reason given for his suspension. Sources informed that the official was suspended on the basis of a tweet he made to explain Section 20 of the Prevention of Electronic Media Crimes Act 2016.
The tweet came days after an FIR was registered by FIA’s cybercrime wing against Meesha Shafi and eight others for their alleged involvement in a smear campaign against singer-actor Ali Zafar.
Asif Iqbal’s tweet reads, “Whoever publicly exhibits false information that harms the reputation of a person, is [committing] a crime U/S 20 of Cybercrime Act.”
Whoever publicly exhibits false information that harms the reputation of a person, is a crime U/S 20 of Cybercrime Act.
اگر سوشل میڈیا پرکسی شخص کےبارے Fake News غلط خبرکی تشہیر کی جائے جس سے اسکی بدنامی ہو، جرم ہے جسکی سزا 3 سال قید یا 10لاکھ روپے جرمانہ یا دونوں ہیں۔— Asif Iqbal Chaudhry (@AsifIqbalccw) September 29, 2020
He further said that the law prescribes three years imprisonment or one million fine, or both, for a person involved in the propagation of fake news through social media that harms the reputation of another person.
In this regard, a minister’s daughter accused Asif Iqbal of being a spokesperson for Ali Zafar on social media. She tweeted: “Women, listen to what the State is telling us: we hear you but we really don’t care.”
“As if the FIRs aren’t bad enough, the Assistant Director, FIA cybercrime Lahore is basically Ali Zafar’s personal spokesperson,” she added.
Women, listen to what the State is telling us: “we hear you but we really dont care”.
As if the FIRs arent bad enough, the Assistant Director, FIA Cybercrime Lahore is basically Ali Zafar’s personal spokesperson.
This system is rotten to the core.
It needs to be dismantled. pic.twitter.com/MNYAQA6TGG
— Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir (@ImaanZHazir) September 29, 2020
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