Saqib Chadhar secures pre-arrest bail in Momina Iqbal harassment case
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A Lahore court on Friday granted interim pre-arrest bail to PML-N MPA Saqib Chadhar after the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) registered a case against him over alleged harassment of actor and model Momina Iqbal. Additional District and Sessions Judge Irfan Ahmad Sheikh approved Chadhar’s bail plea during a hearing attended by the lawmaker and his counsel, Mian Ali Ashfaq. The court restrained the NCCIA from arresting Chadhar until June 24 and ordered the agency to present the complete case record at the next hearing. The case was registered under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) following a complaint filed by Iqbal. According to the FIR, she accused Chadhar, his wife, and their “known and unknown associates” of carrying out a continuous campaign involving cyber harassment, stalking, intimidation, blackmail, defamation, unlawful surveillance, and threats targeting her and her family. Iqbal further alleged that Chadhar reacted aggressively after she declined his marriage proposal upon learning he was already married. She claimed he repeatedly threatened her, attempted to gain access to her private data, shared violent material, and used private videos to blackmail her. The FIR stated that the accused allegedly damaged her personal and professional reputation, interfered with her marriage proposal in 2023 by spreading false information, and later escalated threats to leak private content, harm her and her fiancé, and disrupt her forthcoming marriage. According to the complaint, the alleged actions caused her significant emotional distress as well as reputational and professional losses. The FIR also noted that preliminary technical and forensic examinations of the mobile phones and electronic devices belonging to both Iqbal and Chadhar had been conducted, and the evidence collected during the analysis formed the basis for registering the case against the PML-N lawmaker. Saqib Chadhar booked under PECA in Momina Iqbal harassment case