Naming rape victims; court seeks explanation

Respondents have been directed to submit their replies within a fortnight

ISLAMABAD: As cases of rape gain attention in the wake of heinous incidents in Kasur and Mardan, a court in Islamabad has asked the government to explain why it has failed to act against media naming the victims.

Justice Athar Minallah of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) issued notices to the secretaries of the Information and Interior ministries, chairman of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA), the chairman of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and the chief secretaries of the four provinces.

The respondents were directed to submit their replies within a fortnight.

Last week, two lawyers had filed a petition in the IHC, urging the court to direct the government to act against newspapers, television channels and social media users who violate the law while simultaneously ensuring that they do not disclose the identity of rape victims.

In the petition, Sharafat Ali Chaudhry and Umer Sajjad contended that during the current spell of rape stories dominating news bulletins, some television channels, newspapers and event social media users had disclosed the true identity of rape and murder victims.

This, they argued, was against the law and the matter was directly linked with the fundamental rights guaranteed under the Constitution.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 7^th, 2018.