Pakistan’s FIA files false FIR against Sikh journalist Harmeet Singh over 'security threat, inciting violence'

Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has reportedly filed a false FIR against Pakistan’s first Sikh journalist and anchor, Harmeet Singh accusing him of propaganda against Pakistani agencies and national security threat. 

"Consequent upon conclusion of enquiry No..., crime reporting centre, Islamabad, it transpired that Harmeet Singh through his X (Twitter) profile, with malafied intentions and ulterior motives, built false narrative and propagated misleading concocted and baseless campaign against state institutions and Security Agencies of Pakistan. The malicious narrative was promoted and disseminated against state institutions and Security Agencies of Pakistan by the accused Harmeet Singh through his aforementioned twitter profile at various instances... The contents promulgated through his tweets are inciting the general public of Pakistan towards the acts of violence and terrorism..." the FIR read.

Notably, last year, Harmeet Singh was terminated from his job by Public TV and alleged that he faced extreme challenges to survive in the country.

He was sacked after a complaint by Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader and former minister Shazia Atta Marri, who blamed Harmeet for spreading fake news about the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) raid on her and recovery of PKR 97 billion from her possession.

Harmeet Singh, who also runs a YouTube channel, said that after he learnt that the news was fake, he deleted the tweet and sent a written apology to Shazia Marri acknowledging his mistake.

He further said that instead of accepting his apology, Shazia sent him a legal notice of a Rs 10 billion defamation case and used her political power to dismiss him from his job while threatening that if he is not removed, all government advertising would be stopped and the channel’s license will be cancelled.