IHC directs registrar to approach ‘X’

Order aims to trace accounts running smear campaign against Justice Sattar

ISLAMABAD:

The Islamabad High Court has directed the registrar office to approach the chief legal counsel of X Corporation to trace those involved in running a smear campaign against Justice Babar Sattar on social media.

The three-member larger bench comprising Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri and Justice Sardar Ishaq Khan released the written order of the contempt of court case hearing surrounding the defamation campaign on social media against IHC judge Babar Sattar and his family.

The court sought an emergency disclosure request sent by the FIA ​​to X Corporation for tracing suspicious accounts. In addition, the court also ordered the FIA ​​to conduct forensic investigation of the leakage of passport and other travel documents' details of the judge and his family from the passport office's database server.

The IHC bench stated that PTA, IB, DG Immigration, CTD, PEMRA and FBR had submitted their reports and ordered the experts, who prepared the reports, to give concise presentation at the next hearing.

As per FIA Cyber Crime Wing report, some accounts were identified who tweeted and re-tweeted posts. The report indicated that an organized smear campaign, consisting of three hash tags, was run against the judge. The court directed the Supreme Court's registrar office to make correspondence with the chief legal counsel of X Corporation and present the draft of the letter before the bench members in the chamber.

The court expressed dismay over the ISI report and said it was 'insufficient'. The ISI report said there could not be any progress due to dormant accounts. The court inquired if the ISI's stance will remain the same in case blasphemy allegations are leveled against the president and the army chief.

The court also inquired if ISI is capable of handling the fifth generation war and added that the court could not get answers of these questions.