Farooq Naeem—AFP
Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Aamer Farooq on Monday issued notices to former army chief Gen. (retd.) Qamar Javed Bajwa, former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Faiz Hamid, and two journalists over a petition seeking legal proceedings for allegedly violating the Official Secrets Act.
The petition filed by citizen Atif Ali has sought the registration of a case against journalists Javed Chaudhry and Shahid Maitla as well as the former military officials over reports disclosing Bajwa and Hamid’s role in politics. Referring to Bajwa’s interviews by Chaudhry and Maitla, the petition claims they were reported without any sense of responsibility, adding their disclosures were a violation of the Official Secrets Act and tantamount to inciting mutiny and disharmony.
Ali has requested the court to issue directions to the director-general of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to register an FIR against the former COAS, former ISI chief, and the journalists. It has also sought a ban on the two journalists by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA).
During earlier proceedings, the CJ had directed the FIA DG to proceed in accordance with law and file the case sought by the petitioner. However, during a hearing on Oct. 4, Ali informed the court that the investigation agency did not take any action. As a consequence, the IHC CJ issues notices to the FIA, Bajwa, Hamid and the two journalists.
According to the articles attached with the petition, Bajwa had discussed various matters during his interviews, including the no-confidence motion against Imran Khan and civil-military ties. The petition alleges that the articles had “distorted” facts, adding their content raised questions about the conduct of military officials that required investigation.
However, while notices have been issued to all respondents, it is unclear when the case would be heard next as no date has, as yet, been fixed by the registrar’s office.