Anti-state activities: IHC orders action against IB officials

Directs interior ministry secretary to resolve issue realising it is not only delicate, but inflammable as well

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday ordered secretary of Ministry of Interior to take action against Intelligence Bureau (IB) officials involved in anti-state activities.

Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui issued the orders on a petition filed by an IB official accusing his own department’s people of colluding with terrorists, anti-state elements and foreign intelligence agencies for their own vested interests.

“All persons are equal before the law and if someone is involved in anti-state activities, the law must be put into motion against him,” Justice Siddiqui stated in the order while disposing of the petition filed by Assistant Sub-Inspector IB, Malik Mukhtar Ahmad Shahzad.

Justice Siddiqui said the secretary “shall act to resolve the issue in the larger interest of the country by appreciating applicable law and by realising that the issue is not only delicate, but inflammable as well”.



When the case was taken up, the secretary informed the court that the issue was already in the notice of federal government and the ministry had made some important decisions and taken remedial steps. He submitted that the matter was ultra-sensitive in nature, involved a number of delicate issues and the ministry had the authority, capacity, capability and infrastructure to deal with the issue.

Meanwhile, the counsel for IB ASI Shahzad, Barrister Masroor Shah said, “IB does not fall under the domain of the interior ministry and it might not be able to take some effective steps.”

“It is instructed that the secretary ... shall deal with the issue on priority basis,” Justice Siddiqui concluded.

In the petition, Barrister Shah had requested the court that issues of connivance, complacency and involvement of IB officials and other senior bureaucrats may be entrusted to Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) for a thorough probe.

He stated that Shahzad had ‘reported’ against various terrorist groups having roots in Uzbekistan, Iran, Afghanistan, Syria and India, but no action was ever taken by the IB despite concrete evidence (intelligence reports) provided to it.



The barrister had submitted all the details of the intelligence report to the court.Previously, the IB director general had informed the court that hearing a petition of the IB official in an open court would have severe adverse effects on foreign relations of Pakistan.

The spymaster said, “The petitioner has been increasingly harassing the agency by filing numerous cases in various courts. Per our record, he has filed a total of 14 different cases up till now against the agency.”

In the reply submitted on Shahzad’s petition, the bureau has issued a show-cause notice to him.

Moreover, the DG said, the petition is in fact asking the agency to expose the operational areas and targets which are highly secretive and will tantamount to demolishing the very basic structure of secrecy, which the agency has been able to develop until now.