A court in Karachi has fixed 20 November for the indictment of television anchor and Pakistan Awaam Raaj Tehreek chairman Iqrar-ul-Hassan in a case about allegedly sharing anti-state content on social media. Judicial Magistrate (East) set the date at a hearing on Friday, when Hassan appeared with his legal team.

During the hearing, the court handed copies of the case documents to the accused and directed him to appear at the next hearing, when charges will formally be framed. The magistrate had earlier accepted the interim challan submitted by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) as the final charge sheet.

The NCCIA registered the case against Hassan over allegations that he circulated material criticising constitutional and administrative measures with the intention of creating public disaffection against state institutions. The allegations have not been proven in court, and the case remains to be tried.

Hassan is currently on bail. Judicial Magistrate (East) Gulraiz Memon granted him post-arrest bail earlier this month against a surety bond and a personal bond of Rs200,000 each. The court noted at the time that the prosecution case rested largely on electronic and documentary evidence already in the agency's possession, with no apparent likelihood of the accused tampering with it.

Hassan was arrested at his home in Lahore's Defence Housing Authority and transferred to Karachi. A sessions court dismissed his second bail application on 30 October, before bail was granted. His defence maintains he was falsely implicated over his journalistic activities.

The 20 November hearing will be the next step in a case that has drawn close attention from journalists and press freedom advocates. Abb Takk News reported that the court will proceed with framing charges on that date.