Lahore High Court. PHOTO: LHC.GOV.PK
Jamaatud Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed had filed a petition against the screening of the movie, claiming it was anti-Pakistan and an attempt to tarnish his reputation. In his petition, Saeed had contended that the JuD was a charitable organisation and had no connection with the banned Lashkar-i-Taiba (LeT). The petitioner also submitted a CD containing a copy of the movie’s trailer, and added that his television footage was included in the movie.
Advocate AK Dogar, the counsel for Saeed, had said that there was a direct threat to the petitioner and his associates’ lives owing to the content of the trailer.
On Thursday, Justice Shahid Bilal Hasan of the LHC was informed by the counsel representing the federal government that no group had sought a non-objection certificate (NOC) for releasing the movie in Pakistan. “The film censor board has also not received any request to screen the movie,” he said.
Justice Hasan asked him who was responsible for ensuring that the movie was not aired on the cable network or in the form of CDs. The lawyer said that the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) had the authority to do that.
The judge then asked Dogar whether he had mentioned PEMRA as a respondent in the petition. “We are not concerned with the PEMRA or its authority. All such departments work under the government. Article 4 of the Constitution protects all citizens against defamation. If no one has contacted the government to obtain an NOC for screening the movie, then it [the government] should clearly state that the movie will not be released in Pakistan,” he said.
The court then stayed the exhibition of the film and adjourned the hearing till September 23.
Talking to reporters later, Dogar said that the court had banned the screening of the movie in cinemas, on the cable network and the internet in the country. “The government is responsible for protecting the fundamental rights of its citizens. The movie is a direct attack on the reputation of Hafiz Muhammad Saeed and the integrity of the country. No country, including India, has a right to initiate baseless propaganda against a Pakistani citizen,” he said. Dogar said that the movie contained references to the US raid in Abbottabad to kill Osama Bin Laden. “The movie suggests that if the US can do it, India too can assassinate Hafiz Saeed on Pakistani territory. This is an open threat to Saeed’s life,” he said.
JuD leaders Hafiz Abdur Rehman Makki and Muhammad Yahya Mujahid along with a number of activists were present in the court during the hearing.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 21st, 2015.
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