Asad Ali Toor Given Less Than 24 Hours to Respond to NCCIA Inquiry

ISLAMABAD, Aug. 4: Journalist Asad Ali Toor has said that the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) gave him less than 24 hours to respond to allegations in an inquiry under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA).

In a post on X, Toor said a summons was delivered to his residence on August 3 directing him to appear before the NCCIA the same day. He said he was away from home and learned about the notice shortly before the scheduled appearance, leaving him insufficient time to prepare his defence.

According to Toor, his counsel, Musadiq Khattak, appeared before the inquiry officer and requested additional time. However, the NCCIA rescheduled his appearance for the following morning, giving him less than 24 hours to submit a written response.

The inquiry relates to allegations under Section 26A of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016 concerning the alleged dissemination of false information.

Earlier, Toor had challenged the NCCIA summons before the Islamabad High Court, arguing that he had not been provided with the complaint or details of the allegations. The court subsequently directed the NCCIA to furnish complete details of the allegations before proceeding with the inquiry.

Toor has also requested the agency to wait for the Islamabad High Court’s written order before requiring him to submit his detailed defence. It was not immediately clear whether the written order had been issued by Monday evening or whether the inquiry would proceed as scheduled.