IHC dismisses plea against broadcasting Fazl’s speeches

Justice Minallah says state should encourage criticism

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday dismissed a petition seeking a ban on the broadcasting of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s speeches, declaring it non-maintainable.

Hearing the plea, IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah remarked that the state should encourage criticism. “Criticism is the only effective way to keep a check on those in power,” he added.

He noted that controversial remarks were even used against judges on social media.

“Why the court should stop anyone? How do such words affect anyone?” he asked the petitioner.

The chief justice further remarked that there should be freedom of expression in the country.

“This is the era of social media. How many people will you stop?,” he added.

The petitioner, Advocate Shahjahan Khattak, argued that the JUI-F chief’s speeches should be banned as he was “maligning state institutions”. He also prayed the court to ban the JUI-F's activities in Pakistan.

After listening to his argument, the court rejected the petition.

However, the court observed that it did not expect a political leader to make irresponsible statements about state institutions.

Justice Minallah observed that the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) could take action if rules were violated.

(With additional input from APP)