Solangi claims drop in drive against judiciary

Info minister says formation of JIT has visible impact

ISLAMABAD:

Interim federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Murtaza Solangi has said that about 600 social media accounts have been investigated and notices have been issued to 110 people, including 32 journalists, for the “malicious campaign” against judges.

“An investigation into the campaign against the superior judiciary by the joint investigation team (JIT) formed on January 16 is ongoing,” Solangi said while addressing a news conference on Sunday.

The minister said that the first meeting of the JIT was held on Jan 17 and the second meeting was held on Jan 23 and so far about “100 inquiries have been registered based on the investigation conducted regarding 600 social media accounts”.

The caretaker information minister said that notices had been issued to around 110 people, including around 22 political activists or politicians and 32 journalists, and so far only notices had been issued under the law.

He said that no one had been harassed and no first information report (FIR) had been filed against anyone, but the court and the law would take its own course and the action taken so far had been in accordance with the law.

Solangi said that under Article 19 of the Constitution, freedom of expression was not unlimited but there were appropriate restrictions on it.

It was stated in the supreme law of the land that no campaign against the armed forces and the judiciary could be carried out outside the scope of the Constitution and the law.

“This matter is not about criticism, it is about ridicule and character assassination,” Solangi said, adding that the campaign that was launched against the judiciary in the past days did not fall under the category of criticism. “Criticism should be kept civil and slander should be avoided.”

Read: ‘Malicious campaign’ against top judiciary being probed as per law: Solangi

The caretaker federal minister said, “Legislation is the authority of parliament and it is the authority of the relevant institutions to issue notices. No one has been arrested after the formation of the JIT.”

He claimed that there had been a clear decline in the campaign after the formation of the JIT.

He said that it was a matter of public opinion and the court of law, adding that legal questions would be placed in the court.

“It is not possible that the government, institutions and the higher judiciary can be attacked,” Solangi said, adding stating facts was necessary while legal questions would be answered in court.

Solangi said that the jurisdiction of the current JIT was clear and it was formed in the present era.

FIA Director General (DG) Ahmad Ishaq Jahangir said that the atmosphere of uncertainty had reduced after the formation of JIT.

Jahangir said, “It is not necessary to register an FIR on every notice.”

The DG FIA said that many people deleted their tweets and posts after the formation of the JIT.