What happened
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has given the Ministry of Interior, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and other respondents one day to submit their response to a petition challenging the alleged illegal detention of three Chinese nationals who entered Pakistan on valid business visas.
Justice Shahrukh Arjumand heard the petition, filed by Muhammad Nasir, the coordinator of the three Chinese nationals, on Tuesday, 18 August 2026, with the petitioner’s counsel, an assistant attorney general and other officials appearing. When the assistant attorney general asked for time to file a complete report, the court granted one day and adjourned the hearing until Thursday, 20 August.
The raid and the cases
The petition says the three Chinese nationals entered Pakistan on valid business visas but were allegedly detained after a joint raid by the FIA, the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) and Islamabad Police at Sparco Plaza, Gulberg Greens, on 11 August 2026.
After the raid, the FIA registered cases against 258 people under the Foreigners Act, while the NCCIA registered cases against 114 people under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act and relevant provisions of the Pakistan Penal Code, according to the petition. The three Chinese nationals were neither nominated nor wanted accused in any of the FIRs registered after the raid, it states.
The petitioner’s counsel told the court that the chief commissioner of Islamabad declared Sparco Plaza a sub-jail on 11 August. That notification was withdrawn on 14 August, but the premises were declared a sub-jail again on 15 August.
The legal argument
The petition argues that holding people in detention without legal justification, an arrest memo or a court order amounts to a violation of the Constitution and fundamental rights. It asks the court to order the authorities to produce the three Chinese nationals before the court immediately and to direct their release from what it describes as unlawful detention.
The court’s order giving the government a day to respond keeps the matter alive, with the authorities yet to explain the legal basis for holding the three.
Why it matters
The case sits at the intersection of Pakistan’s treatment of foreign nationals and its widening crackdown on suspected cybercrime and illegal activity. The raid produced hundreds of cases, and the petition tests whether people caught up in it were held lawfully. It also carries diplomatic weight, given Pakistan’s close economic and security ties with China and the presence of thousands of Chinese workers and businesspeople in the country.
What remains unclear
The government had not filed its response by the time the court set the one-day deadline, and it is not clear what legal grounds the authorities will cite for the detentions. Whether the three are released, charged or produced in court will depend on the reply and the next hearing.
Sources & reporting notes
This is a summary of published reporting, not independent reporting. Details and quoted remarks are as carried by the cited source, which was reviewed on 20 August 2026.
- Dawn — "Islamabad High Court gives one day to govt, FIA to respond to detention of 3 Chinese nationals"20 August 2026 · The petition, the 11 August raid at Sparco Plaza, the FIRs registered and the court's one-day deadline.
