ISLAMABAD: The caretaker federal government on Tuesday established a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to probe a “malicious” social media campaign against the judges of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
A notification from the Ministry of Interior stated, “The federal government has been pleased to constitute a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) in terms of Section 30 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016.”
The six-member inter-institutional probe team will be led by the Additional Director General of the Federal Investigation Agency’s Cyber Crime Wing. Other members include senior officials from the Intelligence Bureau (IB), Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), DIG Islamabad Capital Territory Police, and the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority. A co-opted official will also be part of the team.
The team, consisting of senior officials, is assigned to determine the facts behind the malicious social media campaigns aimed at “maligning the image of honorable judges of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.”
The official document stated, “To identify and bring the culprits to book in accordance with relevant laws and cause the presentation of challans in the concerned courts.”
Additionally, the team is tasked with recommending preventive measures against the recurrence of such incidents and submitting a preliminary report to the Ministry of Interior within a fortnight (14 days).
This decision follows a verdict by the Supreme Court that was not favorable to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), drawing severe criticism. The Pakistan Bar Council (PBC) and Supreme Court Bar Council (SCBA) officeholders, in a press conference in Islamabad, demanded action against those responsible for the campaign targeting Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa.
SCBA President Shahzad Shaukat emphasized the stand of his body with the apex court’s judges, stating that while decisions could be criticized, judges should not be personally maligned. PBC Vice President Haroon Ur Rasheed urged bringing forward any flaws in the apex court’s decision without ridiculing the judges.
Hasan Raza Pasha, the chairman of the PBC’s Executive Committee, noted that PTI’s lawyers were unprepared for the nine-hour-long hearing but acknowledged the party’s right to file an appeal against the decision.
(Islamabad51_Newsdesk)
