CJP Nisar warns Jang/Geo Group of 'ban' on misreporting in future

ISLAMABAD - The Supreme Court has issued a warning to Pakistan's leading media organisation over misreporting of a statement attributed to him a day earlier regarding the inclusion of spy officials in the Panamagate joint investigation team (JIT).

Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar on Thursday took the reporters of Jang/Geo Group to task for the misreporting, saying that they seemed to mixed-up his comments. He warned the media group of banning it from court coverage if deliberate misreporting happens in future.

Yesterday, the CJP was quoted by media as saying that the officials of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Military Intelligence (MI) had been included in the Panama Papers JIT at the behest of the former interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, sparking off a new debate.

The top judge clarified that he had referred to the JIT formed in the Dawn Leaks case by the then feral government of the Pakistan Muslim Leauge-Nawaz (PML-N) and not the Panamagate JIT.

The Supreme Court on Thursday warned that Jang/Geo Group could be banned from covering court proceedings “if deliberate misreporting is done in future”.

CJP Nisar said that he unintentionally said Panamagate case which was largely reported by the media of the country.

“Ask Mir Ibrahim [publisher] to appear before SC tomorrow,” a leading English day quoted the CJP, as saying.

During the last hearing, the CJP observed that it was Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan who first inducted members of spy officials in a JIT.