Senior journalist and anchor at TV Today, Bilal Ghouri who was reported missing has been arrested by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency over an X post and YouTube video about a NACTA coordinator appointment.
By Imran Malik | Media & Press Freedom Desk | MediaBites.com.pk
The mystery surrounding the disappearance of senior journalist Bilal Ghouri has been resolved — but the resolution has raised far more serious questions than the disappearance itself.
Ghouri, a journalist associated with TV Today, was reported missing by his family early Saturday morning after he vanished from his home office at approximately 2:00 AM with his purse and glasses left behind and his phone switched off.
He was not missing. He was arrested.
The National Cyber Crime and Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has confirmed his arrest. An FIR was registered at 12:10 AM — meaning authorities were processing his case even as his family was filing a missing person application at Shalimar Police Station, which declined to register an FIR at the time.
What the FIR Says
According to the FIR, Bilal Ghouri published an X post and a 16-minute YouTube video on September 5 in which he discussed the appointment of the NACTA Coordinator — the National Counter Terrorism Authority’s coordination role.
The FIR alleges that Ghouri’s discussion of the NACTA coordinator appointment was “fabricated and allegation-based.” It further states that during inquiry it was established that Ghouri “deliberately made fabricated content and also publicised it.” The FIR describes his content as “false, misleading and without solid evidence.”
This case raises immediate and serious press freedom concerns that Pakistan’s journalism community cannot ignore.
A senior journalist published a video and a social media post discussing a government appointment — a matter of clear and legitimate public interest. He was arrested in the middle of the night. His family spent hours believing he was missing while authorities processed his case without informing them of his whereabouts or the charges against him.
The Islamabad Press Club had already demanded answers about his disappearance before the arrest was confirmed. Those demands have now transformed into something more urgent — a demand for transparency about the legal basis for the arrest and the conditions of his detention.
Critically Shalimar Police Station received a missing person application from Ghouri’s family and declined to register an FIR — at a time when the NCCIA had already taken him into custody. His family was not informed.
That sequence of events demands explanation.
Stand With Bilal Ghouri
Discussing a government appointment in a YouTube video and an X post is journalism. It is precisely what journalists are supposed to do. The characterisation of such content as “fabricated” and “misleading” in an FIR, without the journalist having the opportunity to respond to the specific allegations before arrest, is deeply concerning.
MediaBites calls for Bilal Ghouri’s immediate release, full transparency about the charges against him, and access for his legal representatives.
Journalism is not a crime. Covering government appointments is not fabrication. And arresting journalists in the middle of the night without informing their families is not due process.
Pakistan ranks 158th in press freedom. Cases like this explain exactly why.
MediaBites will update this story as further information becomes available. We invite NCCIA and the relevant authorities to share their official response for publication.
