ISLAMABAD – Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Usman Awan on Tuesday provided assurance to the Supreme Court that journalists, who had been served notices regarding their alleged involvement in a defamation campaign against judges, would not face any action until the general elections scheduled for February 8.
This assurance was given during the hearing of a suo motu case, which was combined with a previous case from 2021 related to the harassment of journalists.
The three-member bench, led by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa and including Justice Muhammed Ali Mazhar and Justice Mussarat Hilali, presided over the hearing.
Earlier, on January 17, the caretaker government had established a five-member Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to investigate the circumstances surrounding a malicious social media campaign against Supreme Court judges following a court decision on the election symbol of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
The JIT, formed under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016, comprises officials from the police, FIA, and intelligence agencies.
The list titled “JIT-SM campaign against CJP and State Institutions” containing the names of 47 media personnel and YouTubers went viral on social media platforms.
In a previous session, the CJP emphasized that the Supreme Court upholds the right of journalists and the public to express criticism, directing the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) not to take legal action against them for critiquing the apex court.
Furthermore, the SC requested an investigation report on the attack against journalist Absar Alam and adjourned the hearing until the first week of March.
