**Submission statement**: Hamza Ali Khan, a Canadian citizen and [Ph.D student at the University of Toronto,](https://www.politics.utoronto.ca/people/directories/graduate-students/hamza-khan) had traveled to Pakistan, his country of origin, to spend Ramadan with his family.
However, before he could reach Karachi, he was imprisoned by the country’s National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA). The NCCIA arrested Hamza after viewing his social media accounts
on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram, and concluding that Hamza was “disseminating disinformation targeting state institutions.”
> “The nature of these posts is inflammatory and appears designed to incite public unrest, spread animosity, and undermine social order. The propagation of such malicious content poses a significant risk, with the potential to cause severe reputational damage to the state of Pakistan both domestically and internationally.”
The 2016 Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, under which Hamza was arrested, imposes a penalty of up to three years’ imprisonment. For his part, Hamza’s lawyer has alleged that he was illegally abducted while travelling in a cab in Lahore.
“He was not informed about the circumstances and the reasons for being taken into custody,” said lawyer Asad Jamal. Global Affairs Canada, the federal department that provides assistance to Canadians abroad, confirmed in a statement that it was in contact with a Canadian citizen who had been detained in Pakistan.
***
**Why this matters**: Hamza’s area of research is “the politics of democracy in Muslim majority societies.” However, his arrest comes against the backdrop of the growing spectre of authoritarianism in Pakistan. A few months ago, Pakistan’s General Assembly passed the 27th Amendment to the Constitution, giving Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir unprecedented powers and lifetime immunity from prosecution.
The amendment has significantly weakened democratic structures and civil governance in Pakistan, according to a [report by the International Commission of Jurists](https://www.icj.org/pakistan-dismantling-justice-a-full-frontal-assault-on-the-rule-of-law/).
Electronic crime prevention acts such as the one Hamza was arrested under are a frequently wielded tool by authoritarian governments, and are fundamently anti-democratic and illiberal. The arrest is a
discouraging sign for liberalism and democracy in Pakistan.
2 Comments
**Submission statement**: Hamza Ali Khan, a Canadian citizen and [Ph.D student at the University of Toronto,](https://www.politics.utoronto.ca/people/directories/graduate-students/hamza-khan) had traveled to Pakistan, his country of origin, to spend Ramadan with his family.
However, before he could reach Karachi, he was imprisoned by the country’s National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA). The NCCIA arrested Hamza after viewing his social media accounts
on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram, and concluding that Hamza was “disseminating disinformation targeting state institutions.”
> “The nature of these posts is inflammatory and appears designed to incite public unrest, spread animosity, and undermine social order. The propagation of such malicious content poses a significant risk, with the potential to cause severe reputational damage to the state of Pakistan both domestically and internationally.”
The 2016 Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, under which Hamza was arrested, imposes a penalty of up to three years’ imprisonment. For his part, Hamza’s lawyer has alleged that he was illegally abducted while travelling in a cab in Lahore.
“He was not informed about the circumstances and the reasons for being taken into custody,” said lawyer Asad Jamal. Global Affairs Canada, the federal department that provides assistance to Canadians abroad, confirmed in a statement that it was in contact with a Canadian citizen who had been detained in Pakistan.
***
**Why this matters**: Hamza’s area of research is “the politics of democracy in Muslim majority societies.” However, his arrest comes against the backdrop of the growing spectre of authoritarianism in Pakistan. A few months ago, Pakistan’s General Assembly passed the 27th Amendment to the Constitution, giving Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir unprecedented powers and lifetime immunity from prosecution.
The amendment has significantly weakened democratic structures and civil governance in Pakistan, according to a [report by the International Commission of Jurists](https://www.icj.org/pakistan-dismantling-justice-a-full-frontal-assault-on-the-rule-of-law/).
Electronic crime prevention acts such as the one Hamza was arrested under are a frequently wielded tool by authoritarian governments, and are fundamently anti-democratic and illiberal. The arrest is a
discouraging sign for liberalism and democracy in Pakistan.
!ping CAN