Slain journalist faced 'unjust' harassment from authorities: IHC

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has remarked that journalist Arshad Sharif had been facing unjust harassment from authorities.

IHC judge Mohsin Akhtar Kiyani has issued a written verdict on the pending requests pertaining to registration of cases against journalists, including Arshad Sharif.

The court, in its verdict, stated that multiple First Information Reports (FIRs) against Arshad Sharif were not maintainable in the view of the law as only one FIR was enough.

The court order maintained that accused should be provided protection when FIRs are registered at the behest of state institutions. It added that the family of Arshad Sharif had suffered a huge loss that could not be compensated.

The court order also highlighted that, although the 'Protection of Journalists Act' had been enacted on December 1, journalists still faced unjust harassment. Under the Act, it said, the slain journalist's family could approach the commission which had a legal responsibility to investigate the harassment and life threats faced by Arshad Sharif.

The written verdict also pointed out that the slain vlogger had moved the court to find out details of the cases registered against him and that, although state institutions had provided the court with the details, they had done so after a delay.