Saqib Chadhar booked under PECA in Momina Iqbal harassment case
Why this matters: local context for readers following news across Pakistan and the region.
The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has registered a case against PML-N MPA Saqib Chadhar under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) on charges of alleged harassment and blackmail of model Momina Iqbal. According to the FIR, Chadhar, along with his wife and several associates, harassed and blackmailed the actor online while also issuing threats to her and her family members. The accused have additionally been charged with unlawful surveillance and intimidation. The FIR stated that Iqbal rejected Chadhar’s marriage proposal after discovering that he was already married. Following her refusal, the MPA began threatening her by sending private videos and warning that he would leak her personal information if she did not agree to marry him. Investigators further claimed that Chadhar made false allegations against the actor in 2023, which reportedly caused an earlier marriage proposal involving Iqbal to collapse. The complaint alleged that threatening messages were sent not only to Iqbal but also to her husband and other relatives. Similar threatening communications were reportedly received by her sister as well. According to the FIR, investigators traced the threatening messages to a phone number allegedly linked to Chadhar. Authorities also claimed that videos used for blackmail purposes were recovered from Iqbal’s mobile phone. Iqbal’s sister, who practices law, reportedly handed over a video connected to the alleged threats to the NCCIA. Officials have taken both the video and a mobile phone into custody and sent them for forensic analysis as digital evidence. The FIR also alleged that the provincial legislator erased data and deleted applications from his mobile phone before handing over the device to investigators. Earlier, Iqbal had approached Lahore’s Chung Police Station seeking legal action against Chadhar, accusing him of harassment, blackmail and issuing death threats. In her application, she claimed the lawmaker repeatedly contacte