ISLAMABAD: The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) on Wednesday registered a case against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa President and MNA Junaid Akbar over Somnath remarks he made regarding the party’s planned September 27 protest in Islamabad.
The case was registered on behalf of the state through Muhammad Umair Warsi, a technical assistant at the NCCIA’s Cyber Crime Reporting Centre in Islamabad, under Sections 9, 10 and 11 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA).
According to the FIR, a report was submitted to the NCCIA Islamabad regarding Junaid Akbar’s alleged dissemination of anti-state content through his official TikTok account.
The FIR stated that the account had approximately 339,500 followers, giving the content a wide reach and significant public engagement.
It alleged that Akbar had shared a statement containing threats intended to intimidate the government and create fear or insecurity in society.
The FIR quoted the PTI leader as saying: “We will turn Islamabad into Somnath; just as there were 17 attacks on Somnath, there will be 17 attacks on Islamabad.”
According to the FIR, the statement allegedly promoted hatred, encouraged people to take the law into their own hands and created risks to public safety and government and public property.
Read Also: We’ll turn Islamabad into Somnath, Junaid Akbar declares
The FIR further stated that the alleged content constituted an offence under Sections 9, 10 and 11 of PECA 2016.
The development comes ahead of PTI’s planned nationwide protest and march towards Islamabad on September 27, with the party demanding the release of its incarcerated founder, Imran Khan.
Akbar made the remarks while addressing a gathering in Peshawar on September 20. He said PTI supporters would approach Islamabad through multiple routes, including the motorway and Grand Trunk Road, while some would come through the Margalla Hills and from Dera Ismail Khan.
The PTI leader later sought to clarify his remarks, saying the reference to Somnath had been given a “wrong spin”. He said the party remained committed to peaceful protest and constitutional means.
The historical reference to Somnath relates to Mahmud of Ghazni’s campaign against the Somnath temple in India in the early 11th century.
Facing staunch resistance, Mahmud’s forces emerged victorious. Entering Somnath, Mahmud destroyed the temple, earning him the title “The Idol Breaker”.
