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The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday directed actress Rabia Iqbal Khan, better known as Kubra Khan, to appear before an inquiry officer of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to record her statement for further proceedings.

On the last hearing, the SHC had directed the FIA and Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to block defamatory material being disseminated against her on social media.

At the outset of the hearing, IO Shagufta Shahzad filed a progress report stating that a probe was registered at the FIA cybercrime circle in Karachi.

The IO stated that on the directive of SHC, she had provided all alleged social media accounts in question to focal person of the PTA to block the same.

She also requested the SHC to issue directive to the petitioner to visit her (IO) office for the purpose of recording statement for further proceedings.

The bench adjourned the hearing till Jan 26 and also repeated notice to the PTA for the next hearing.

The actress petitioned the SHC last week against “derogatory, defamatory, malicious, incendiary, dangerous and sensationalising allegations” made by YouTuber Adil Farooq Raja against her and three other actresses on the social media networking websites.

The petitioner submitted that the YouTuber, who claimed himself to be a rights activist and former army officer, had made false allegations against the four actresses and degraded them.

Originally published in Dawn, January 10th, 2023