IHC restrains government from harassing, arresting journalists
CJ orders information secretary to submit report by September 30
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The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has restrained the federal government from harassing and arresting journalists and ordered the Information Secretary to submit a report by September 30.
According to the 24NewsHD TV channel, IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah passed the orders while hearing the cases related to journalists' issues.
PFUJ's lawyer Shah Khawar, Additional Attorney General Mansoor Iqbal, and Secretary Information appeared before the court.
The IHC chief justice called the information secretary to the rostrum and said that before this government came, one set of journalists was targeted, after the government came, another set of journalists were targeted. The court observed that journalists too need self-accountability.
The judge inquired why there is an atmosphere of fear and terror for journalists all the time and said: “For the last few years, it seems that the biggest crime is speaking. If someone talks wrong, you catch them, but it is not right to block the entire channel. It is good that the channel has been restored, it is on record that a journalist was picked up from Islamabad and failed in the inquiry.
“Nothing will be done by rounding up journalists, be it right speech or wrong, it cannot be stopped now. By taking action, tell us that there is a government that ensures freedom of expression and ensure that there will be no restrictions on freedom of expression.”
|Nothing can be done by rounding up and arresting the police. The governments should encourage freedom of expression.”
The court was told that a blasphemy case has been registered against a journalist in Punjab and this is the first time in the history that a blasphemy case has been registered against a journalist.
The chief justice that this court could have formed a commission on this matter, but it has confidence in the prime minister and the federal government that they will end the fear.
The judge added in his remarks that since the creation of Pakistan, these tactics have been used but never proved effective.