Shandana Gulzar booked over inciting violence, creating disorder

ISLAMABAD: The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has registered a case against PTI lawmaker Shandana Gulzar for “publishing, sharing and circulating content that willfully promotes racial/ ethnic hatred beside spreading fake news” through her social media account, the state-run TV reported.

Among others, Shandana in one of her posts on X had accused Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of meeting Benjamin Netanyahu during his recent visit to Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

It is mentioned in the FIR that although the accused had deleted the post, “she had by then achieved her nefarious design through willful propagation” of the fake false news through publication — a move that caused “sense of fear, hatred and unrest in the society”.

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The FIR mentions a total of five posts shared by Shandana — who was elected to the National Assembly from NA-30 Peshawar III — through her X account.

According to the NCCIA, Shandana was involved in publishing, sharing and circulating content that willfully promotes racial/ ethnic hatred beside spreading fake news with “a predetermined mindset”.

THE OBJECTIVE BEHIND THIS EXCERCISE

The NCCIA says the accused was aiming at “promoting the agenda of elements operating against the Federation of Pakistan” and “have knowingly and deliberately propagated false narratives that are detrimental to the security, integrity and stability of Pakistan”.

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About the consequences of Shandana’s actions, the NCCIA says, “The shared content is likely to incite ethnic hatred, promoted enmity between different communities, incited violence, created fear, panic, disorder and unrest among the general public solely to advance the nefarious agenda of herself, affiliates and supporters thereof at the expense of the Federation.”

Meanwhile, the NCCIA said they were investigating the matter to expose other elements and associates involved in the anti-state campaign.