Pakistan's top𝄹 probe agency has arrested a senior doctor and an ardent supporter of ousted prime minister Imran Khan for his alleged involvement in running a smear campaign on social media against Army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa and the military.
The Federal Investigation Agency's cybercrime wing launched a major operation against those involved in a hate campaign against the Army chief after an Army helicopter cꦰrashed in Lasbela, Balochisthan provinc🌌e on August 1.
The crash killed six army officers on board, including Commander XII Corps Lt Gen Sarfraz Ali, who was supervising flood rel♏ief operations in Balochisthan.
"The FIA raided the residence of Dr ꦜSahar Saud, senior registrar at the Children Hospital Lahore, for his alleged involvement in running a campa♓ign against the army, especially the army chief on social media," an FIA cybercrime official said on Friday.
He🐽 said the FIA also produced him before a magistr꧃ate and obtained his 14-day physical remand for investigation.
Dr Saud is an ardent supporter of ousted prime minister Khan. He was crit𒈔ical of the incumbent Army chief's role in the ouster of Khan on Twitter.
Khan was o♍usted on April 10 this year after the National Assembly passed a no-confidence motion against him.
"We have also traced a good number of the social media activists involved in the anti-army campaign in connection with the martyrs of the Lasbela helicopter crash, and soon they will be arrested,"ꦍ the official said.
The ౠFIA claims to have identified Twitter accounts involved in spreading 🌳fake news about the military and the Army chief.
As per a news report, 178 accounts c💞ampaigning against the Pakistan Army belong to the coಌuntry’s largest party -- the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) -- and the party flags were on these accounts.
According to the FIA, fake and hateful content is being spread on social media under a well-planned cಌonspiracy in an attempt to create hatred﷽ between military and the people.
The media wing of the Pakistan Arꦛmy, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), has condemned the “highly unacceptable and regretful social me๊dia campaign” after Lasbela tragedy.
It said the campaign “caused dee꧋p anguish and꧒ distress among the families of martyrs and rank and file of the armed forces.”
However, Khan has maintained that "a planned move is orchestrated to pit his party (PTI) against the Pakistan Army.&q🐓uot;
(With PTI inputs)
