[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text dp_text_size=”size-4″]Islamabad High Court (IHC) has canceled the hearing of a plea against former Chief of Army Staff Gen (r) Qamar Javed Bajwa, Intelligence Chief Lt Gen (r) Faiz Hameed, and two journalists.
Last month, Chief Justice Aamer Farooq of Islamabad High Court issued notices to the former military and intelligence chiefs, two journalists, and the Director General of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in response to a petition seeking legal proceedings against them.
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In a recent development, the Islamabad High Court removed the case from the hearing list. Reports suggest that Chief Justice Aamer Farooq was scheduled to hear the petition filed by citizen Atif Ali later this week, but the court decided against proceeding with the case.
The petitioner had argued that the interview with ex-Gen Bajwa was conducted recklessly, and journalists Javed Chaudhry and Maitla showed no sense of responsibility in publishing it. The petition claimed that the revelations in the interviews violated the Official Secrets Act and amounted to inciting mutiny and disharmony.
In the written order, the Chief Justice of the Islamabad High Court noted that, at the request of citizen Atif Ali, the FIA took no action despite repeated requests against the retired army officials.
The petitioner maintained that TV hosts Javed Chaudhry and Shahid Maitla conducted the interviews for the sake of ratings, which, according to him, malign institutions and society. He argued that freedom of expression was used for a criminal act in the modified interviews.
The order stated that the interview portrayed a negative image of the armed forces and attempted to create a rift between the state and the masses.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
