Tweeting controversy: ECP counsel upset over PTI leader’s tweets
Salman Akram Raja complains to Imran Khan about Dr Arif Alvi’s ‘threatening’ messages
Salman Akram Raja complains to Imran Khan about Dr Arif Alvi’s ‘threatening’ messages. PHOTO: AFP
ISLAMABAD:
During a rare interval of the three-judge inquiry commission’s proceedings probing vote fraud charges in the 2013 general elections, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) counsel Salman Akram Raja approached Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan with a complaint that one of his senior party leaders had threatened him with dire consequences through a social networking portal.
As Chief Justice Nasirul Mulk announced a 30-minute break at 11am on Monday, a visibly angry advocate Raja headed towards Imran Khan to brief him about threats he received from his party’s central leader Dr Arif Alvi over a minor issue on the micro-blogging website, Twitter.
As per details, in one of his tweets, Salman Raja commented: “There is a difference between personal perceptions based on no evidence, representation & defence. Judicial decisions r [are] based on evidence,” to which Arif Alvi replied: “On ethics: why not limit yourself to ensuring that justice is done as [an] ECP lawyer in [the] judicial commission. Twitter refrain?”
While explaining his position, Raja said though his tweet was general and not specific to the judicial commission’s proceedings but even then this was not the end of this issue, as Dr Alvi started disseminating threatening messages that lawyer like Salman Raja should be publicly hanged on the road.
Imran Khan apologised and asked his party spokesperson Dr Shireen Mazari to look into this issue and call an explanation from Alvi for such messages.
But Raja was still adamant, saying that Dr Mazari also gave her feedback on his post and termed his tweet as ‘interesting’. Then Imran assured him to resolve the matter amicably.
After the proceedings, Raja tweeted: “Imran Khan apologised to me in the SC [Supreme Court] today for the verbal attacks yesterday by his party leaders/trolls. There’s mutual respect btwn [between] IK [Imran Khan] & me.”
Published in The Express Tribune, May 12th, 2015.
During a rare interval of the three-judge inquiry commission’s proceedings probing vote fraud charges in the 2013 general elections, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) counsel Salman Akram Raja approached Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan with a complaint that one of his senior party leaders had threatened him with dire consequences through a social networking portal.
As Chief Justice Nasirul Mulk announced a 30-minute break at 11am on Monday, a visibly angry advocate Raja headed towards Imran Khan to brief him about threats he received from his party’s central leader Dr Arif Alvi over a minor issue on the micro-blogging website, Twitter.
As per details, in one of his tweets, Salman Raja commented: “There is a difference between personal perceptions based on no evidence, representation & defence. Judicial decisions r [are] based on evidence,” to which Arif Alvi replied: “On ethics: why not limit yourself to ensuring that justice is done as [an] ECP lawyer in [the] judicial commission. Twitter refrain?”
While explaining his position, Raja said though his tweet was general and not specific to the judicial commission’s proceedings but even then this was not the end of this issue, as Dr Alvi started disseminating threatening messages that lawyer like Salman Raja should be publicly hanged on the road.
Imran Khan apologised and asked his party spokesperson Dr Shireen Mazari to look into this issue and call an explanation from Alvi for such messages.
But Raja was still adamant, saying that Dr Mazari also gave her feedback on his post and termed his tweet as ‘interesting’. Then Imran assured him to resolve the matter amicably.
After the proceedings, Raja tweeted: “Imran Khan apologised to me in the SC [Supreme Court] today for the verbal attacks yesterday by his party leaders/trolls. There’s mutual respect btwn [between] IK [Imran Khan] & me.”
Published in The Express Tribune, May 12th, 2015.