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Designer Maria Butt, popularly known as Maria B, designated her lawyer, Barrister Khadija Siddiqui, to appear on her behalf on Tuesday before the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) in a case relating to the designer’s anti-transgender rhetoric on social media.

Siddiqui said they have requested a copy of the complaint against her client but it has not been given to them yet. She had been summoned by the agency to appear before it on Tuesday in a case filed against her by Saima Butt for defaming the transgender community on social media.

Maria B’s lawyer said the agency will issue them the questions, after which they will submit their responses. She has been summoned again on September 2, according to Siddiqui.

On Sunday, she denied having received any notice from the agency, saying when she received the notice, she would go “explain her stance”.

The notice, issued on Friday, did not mention which posts it referred to, however, earlier this month, Butt posted videos to her social media accounts, demanding action against “transgender activists” that she claimed featured in the clips, terming such gatherings “against the moral values of the country”.

The Lahore police booked around 60 transgender persons and others last week and arrested some of them for allegedly organising an “objectionable” private party after Maria B uploaded photos and videos of it on her social media accounts.

Later, a magistrate dismissed the case against the transgender persons after no incriminating material was found connecting them with the commission of the alleged offences.

She had posted videos on her social media accounts, demanding action against “transgender activists” that she claimed featured in the clips, terming such gatherings “against the moral values of the country”.

In a video posted to her Instagram account on Sunday, Butt said she could not be scared.

“I haven’t received any official notice from a government department, making it premature to comment. A purported notice circulating on social media may be fabricated, as it’s concerning that contents of an official letter could be publicly disclosed before receipt. I’ll respond appropriately if and when I receive official communication.”

She said she remained steadfast in her commitment to highlighting and discouraging such activities in Pakistan.

This is not the first time Maria B has made anti-trans remarks on her social media accounts. Recently, she celebrated the banning of a screening of Joyland in Lahore, describing it as a “shameful transgender satanic show”. Joyland is a film and was Pakistan’s official Oscars submission for the year 2023.