March 1, 2022 – The Islamabad High Court has issued notice to the Attorney General regarding PECA Ordinance during a hearing of a petition filed by the former president of Lahore High Court Bar Association, Maqsood Buttar. Chief Justice Athar Minallah remarked that based on the speech that the Prime Minister Imran Khan gave to the public on February 28, it looks like he has not been informed about the existence of defamation laws other than the PECA. It seems like he has not been advised correctly by anyone. The Chief Justice said that the law is implemented against the critics here.
Advocate Hasan Irfan Khan, who was representing the petitioner, said that this petition highlights two new points that other petitions do not raise. He informed that the FIA does not have the right to handle cases between two private parties, and the agency can only handle cases that are related to the federal government. The FIA does not have the authority to get involved in private matters of citizens. He said that Islam also allows freedom of expression.
Islamabad High Court said that the FIA must ensure that the agency will not take any actions in violation of its SOPs. The Court has clubbed the petition with the rest of the petitions challenging PECA Ordinance, and has set the next hearing with other applications on March 10, 2022.
