ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected a request to immediately stay the trial court proceedings in a case registered by the I-9 Police Station against senior journalist Matiullah Jan. The case includes charges of drug recovery, interference in official duties, snatching of government weapons and provisions under Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act.
A three-member bench, headed by Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, heard the case. Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan and Justice Musarrat Hilali were the two other members of the bench.
The court issued a notice to the prosecution for today (Thursday).
Qadeer Janjua, Matiullah Jan’s lawyer, argued that the case filed by the police was false and baseless, allegedly intended to prevent his client from covering a protest by a political party (PTI). He submitted that the challan had already been submitted to the Anti-Terrorism Court and that charges were to be formally framed against the accused on Thursday (today).
The lawyer requested an immediate halt to the trial court proceedings, adding that forensic science agency’s report clearly showed that no drugs were recovered from his client.
Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan remarked that even if the charges were framed, they could be withdrawn later, and that framing charges was not a significant issue. He also expressed surprise that the High Court had not fixed the case for hearing again after February 23, noting that such cases should be decided within a week.
Justice Musarrat Hilali whether bail was available in drug-related cases and also asked whether the petitioner had any objection to the current bench. The lawyer expressed full confidence in the bench.
Subsequently, the court rejected the request to immediately halt the trial and issued notice to the prosecution for today (Thursday) while also seeking a report on the new challan filed against the journalist.
