By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Noreen Niazi, sister of jailed former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan, has sought a four-week extension to respond to a cybercrime agency notice over remarks she made linking a Pakistani military operation against India to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, her lawyer said on Monday, adding she would not appear before the agency on Tuesday as directed.
Faisal Malik, Niazi’s lawyer, told reporters outside the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) offices in Islamabad that Niazi was currently abroad and unable to return to Pakistan in time for the hearing. Her legal team had submitted an initial written reply and a formal request for additional time once she returns to the country, he said.
The NCCIA issued the original notice on Saturday, summoning Niazi to appear on Monday over an interview in which she questioned the official account of Operation Marka-e-Haq, the term Pakistan uses for its military confrontation with India last year. Malik said the notice had been sent to an incorrect address and that Niazi only learned of it through social media.
The legal team has also asked the NCCIA for a copy of any formal complaint lodged against Niazi and for the agency to specify the exact legal provisions underpinning the notice, Malik said.
“As a Pakistani, she respects all state institutions,” Malik said, quoting his client, adding that Niazi “could never do anything that would bring disrepute to Pakistan.”
The notice, issued under Section 160 of Pakistan’s Code of Criminal Procedure, warned that failure to appear would be treated as an indication that Niazi had nothing to present in her defence and could expose her to prosecution under Section 174 of the Pakistan Penal Code of 1860. The NCCIA described the “gist of allegations” against her as the dissemination of “false, offensive, and inflammatory” content intended to defame state institutions and spread fake narratives.
In the interview, on a YouTube channel, Niazi alleged Marka-e-Haq — the four-day conflict that began after an April 2025 attack in Pahalgam and ended with a May ceasefire — was staged in coordination with Modi, and suggested India held back from a fuller response at Israel’s request, saying Pakistan was being steered toward 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,” Niazi said.
The case has drawn a sharp government response. Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry said on Sunday there would be no leniency for anyone found undermining Pakistan’s stability. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said separately that Niazi’s remarks were part of a broader pattern of statements critical of the state by Khan’s family.
Niazi’s brother, PTI founder Imran Khan, has been imprisoned since August 2023 on charges his party says are politically motivated.
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