UK-Based Activist Shayan Ali Booked Under Anti-Terrorism Law in Islamabad

The Islamabad police have registered a case against Shayan Ali, a UK-based social media activist associated with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), under anti-terrorism laws. The First Information Report (FIR) was filed at the Ramna Police Station, detailing various incidents where Shayan allegedly harassed a judicial officer in London. The FIR states that the harassment was evident from multiple videos that have gone viral on social media.

According to the FIR, Shayan made threatening remarks and followed Islamabad Additional District and Sessions Judge Humayun Dilawar while the judge was attending a human rights and rule of law training program at Hull University in the United Kingdom. Judge Dilawar had recently sentenced former Prime Minister Imran Khan in a high-profile corruption case, making him the target of PTI supporters’ anger. Shayan and other activists reportedly descended on the university campus to protest the judge’s presence and demanded his expulsion from the program.

UK-Based Activist Shayan Ali Booked Under Anti-Terrorism Law in Islamabad

The university later issued a statement clarifying that it had no involvement in selecting the judicial officers attending the program. It explained that the Islamabad High Court, the Peshawar High Court, and the Supreme Court of Pakistan had nominated the participants.

The FIR describes a video in which Shayan is chasing the judge on campus, shouting insults, and vowing to make the judge’s life “hell.” Another clip shows Shayan and his group at the airport holding a placard with the judge’s name, vowing to hold him accountable and follow him wherever he goes. The FIR claims that the protesters intended to create fear and obstruct the judge from performing his duties.

It also mentions that the protesters included other PTI supporters such as Sarah Mir Gilgati, Imran Khalil, and Adil Farooq Raja. According to the FIR, Khalil threatened to intimidate the judge further by booking a reservation at a hotel near his location. The report accuses Raja of aiding and abetting the harassment by actively supporting the activities through social media.

The FIR asserts that Shayan and his group did not limit their actions to peaceful protest. It alleges that they intended to intimidate judicial officers and obstruct the administration of justice, coercing the officials to make decisions in favour of PTI. The complainant, Ramna Police Station SHO Nasir Iqbal, noted that Shayan’s remarks, such as calling the judge a “thief” and accusing him of “selling the country,” incited public hostility against the judiciary.

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The police report further states that security personnel at the university had to intervene to prevent a physical attack on the judge. It claims that Shayan and his group created a highly dangerous situation by recording judicial officers, including female officers, inside the building through reflective surfaces. The authorities described this behaviour as an attempt to instil fear and disrupt the peaceful execution of official duties.

The FIR concludes that the actions by Shayan Ali, Sarah Mir, Imran Khalil, and others were aimed at obstructing the lawful duties of judicial officers, promoting terror, and achieving political objectives through intimidation. It argues that these individuals engaged in activities that glorify terrorism and incite violence, creating insecurity in society while seeking to influence legal decisions for political gain.