ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has registered a case against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Junaid Akbar over alleged hate speech and inflammatory remarks circulated across social media platforms, authorities confirmed.
Threats to Government Property Cited in FIR
According to the case registered by the NCCIA’s Islamabad office, Akbar is accused of threatening to damage government and official property. The agency alleged that hateful and inflammatory content was disseminated through multiple social media accounts.
The text of Akbar’s speech has been incorporated into the case file as evidence. Investigators cited specific language in which the PTI leader allegedly warned of attacks on the capital.
“An attempt was made to create fear of death through threats. He said just as there were attacks on Somnath, there would be attacks on Islamabad,” the NCCIA stated in its complaint.
Controversial Somnath Remark Sparked Outcry
The case follows remarks Akbar made during a gathering in Peshawar just days before the PTI’s planned Islamabad march. Addressing supporters, the PTI Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa president warned the government against using force during the protest.
Akbar claimed the party anticipated that state forces would open fire on demonstrators, but asserted that its workers would not simply collect bodies and return home. He then used the phrase, “We will turn Islamabad into Somnath” while addressing the crowd.
Defence Minister Condemns Statement
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif sharply criticised Akbar over the remarks, responding on social media by stating that Islamabad was neither Somnath nor was Akbar comparable to Mahmud of Ghazni — a reference to the historical figure who attacked the Somnath temple in India.
Asif emphasised that Islamabad represented the federation and served as an important symbol of Pakistan. He questioned the impact of such statements at a time when bloodshed was continuing in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.
- The NCCIA registered the case in Islamabad under cyber crime provisions.
- Akbar’s speech text has been included as evidence in the FIR.
- The remarks were made ahead of PTI’s planned September 27 protest in the capital.
- Defence Minister Khawaja Asif publicly rebuked the PTI leader over the statement.
The case marks an escalation in tensions between the government and PTI as the party prepares for its planned demonstration in the federal capital.
