Case registered against Punjab MPA Saqib Chadhar under PECCA following Momina Iqbal’s complaint

Lahore (Web Desk): A case has been lodged by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) against Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) MPA Saqib Chadhar under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) following allegations of cyber harassment, blackmail and intimidation made by actor and model Momina Iqbal.

The action was initiated after Iqbal approached the cybercrime authority and formally submitted a complaint against the provincial lawmaker.

According to the FIR, Chadhar, along with his wife and several other individuals, is accused of harassing the actor online, attempting to blackmail her and issuing threats to both her and her family members.

Investigators have also included allegations of illegal monitoring and intimidation in the case. The FIR states that the conflict began after Iqbal declined a marriage proposal from Chadhar when she discovered he was already married. 

Following her refusal, the lawmaker allegedly started pressuring her by sharing private videos and threatening to expose confidential personal information unless she agreed to marry him.

It was further claimed that in 2023, Chadhar made baseless accusations against the actor, which allegedly caused an earlier marriage proposal involving her to fall apart.

The complaint further alleges that threatening messages were not only sent to Iqbal but also to her husband, other relatives and her sister.

According to investigators, some of the threatening communications were traced back to a phone number allegedly connected to the lawmaker.

The FIR also notes that videos purportedly used for blackmail were recovered from Iqbal’s mobile phone during the course of the investigation.

The actor’s sister, who works as a lawyer, reportedly submitted a video containing evidence of the alleged threats to the NCCIA.

Authorities have taken possession of the video and a mobile device as digital evidence and sent them for forensic examination.

Investigators further allege that before handing over his mobile phone to the NCCIA, Chadhar removed certain data and applications from the device.

Prior to the registration of the cybercrime case, Iqbal had approached Chung Police Station in Lahore and sought legal action against the lawmaker.

In her complaint, she accused him of harassment, blackmail and issuing death threats after she rejected his marriage proposal.

She further alleged that Saqib repeatedly contacted both her and her then-fiancé, who is now her husband, using threatening and abusive language.

The complaint also claimed that Chadhar made intimidating WhatsApp calls and sent threatening messages, while similar communications were allegedly directed at her sister.

As per the media reports, Iqbal, accompanied by her legal representatives, met Chung Police Station SHO Faheem Imdad to formally report the matter.

The controversy emerged while preparations for the actor’s wedding were underway.

Earlier this week, Iqbal married her longtime partner amid growing public attention surrounding the case.