Noreen’s lawyer says NCCIA has directed her to appear on Tuesday; legal team seeks four weeks to respond
Photo of Noreen Niazi, sister of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder and former premier Imran Khan. PHOTO: SCREENGRAB
ISLAMABAD:
The lawyer for Noreen Niazi, the sister of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan, said on Monday that an initial written response had been submitted to the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) after the agency issued her a notice over a controversial interview.
On Saturday, the NCCIA summoned Noreen for an inquiry after she gave an interview, alleging that Operation Marka-e-Haq was a collaboration between the Pakistan armed forces and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Speaking to reporters after appearing before the NCCIA, lawyer Faisal Malik said Noreen Niazi had learned about the notice through social media on Monday morning, following which her legal team submitted a preliminary written reply to the agency.
Malik said the defence had requested a copy of any complaint registered against his client and asked the agency to specify the legal provisions under which the notice had been issued.
He said the NCCIA had directed Noreen to appear before the agency in person on Tuesday. However, the legal team had sought four weeks to submit a detailed response to the notice.
Quoting his client, Malik said Noreen maintained that “as a Pakistani, she respects all state institutions” and “could never do anything that would bring disrepute to Pakistan.”
Read: ‘There will be no leniency,’ Talal warns over Noreen Niazi’s remarks
Malik added that Noreen Niazi would not be able to appear before the NCCIA on Tuesday.
According to a notice issued by the NCCIA Cyber Crime Reporting Centre on Saturday, Noreen had been directed to appear before the agency on Monday to record her statement in connection with the inquiry.
The notice, issued under Section 160 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, stated that the NCCIA was conducting proceedings in the matter.
The notice directed her to appear in person at the NCCIA Cyber Crime Reporting Centre in Islamabad to record her statement. It warned that non-compliance would mean “that you have nothing to present or state in your defence” and would be punishable under Section 174 of the Pakistan Penal Code, 1860.
The notice was issued after Noreen made remarks regarding Marka-e-Haq and the Pakistan Army during an interview on a YouTube channel.
In the interview, Noreen alleged that Marka-e-Haq was a collaboration between the Pakistan armed forces and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. She further claimed that India refrained from attacking Pakistan at Israel’s request because Pakistan was moving towards recognising Israel.
“Modi could have fixed them in two minutes if he had wanted to. Why did Modi stop? What was he afraid of? India is such a large country. Look at that country and then look at yourselves,” she said.
She also alleged that Israel was “behind” the developments and claimed that Pakistan was being prepared to join countries that had established diplomatic relations with Israel under the Abraham Accords.
