ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) expressed annoyance over non-submission of reply by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in a petition of former chairman Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) Absar Alam challenging the summons issued to him by the agency.

A single bench of Chief Justice Athar Minallah, on Friday, heard the petition filed by the former chairman PEMRA, and directed the FIA official to submit a reply in this matter, wherein, it had already suspended the summons.

During the hearing, the chief justice asked why the FIA had not submitted the reply.

At this, the FIA official told that the concerned FIA investigation official has been transferred.

Justice Minallah then said that they are mocking the court, adding that no one needs to come to the courts, if FIA performs its duties as per law.

Later, the court adjourned the hearing in this case till September 20 for further proceedings.

Previously, the IHC bench had issued notices to Secretary Interior, Director General (DG) FIA and directed them to submit their reply in this matter.

Alam filed the petition in the IHC under Article 199 of Constitution through his counsel Sajid Tanoli.

In his petition, the senior journalist and former chairman PEMRA challenged the summons issued to him by the FIA over his recent tweets and social media posts.

The FIA had summoned him on a complaint filed by a lawyer who accused him of anti-state rhetoric.

Alam, however, challenged the summons and contended that the FIA summoned him without providing details of the complaint.

He said that the summons were issued even after the date on which he was supposed to appear before the investigation officer.

He termed the summon mala fide and requested the court to declare it as illegal and unlawful.

He also prayed before the court to direct the FIA not to harass, humiliate, threat or arrest him in connection with the complaint lodged by a lawyer with the investigative agency.

The Cyber Crime Reporting Centre of the FIA had issued notice to the former chairman PEMRA regarding a complaint that he had uploaded defamatory tweets against the State individuals, and departments through his Twitter account.

The former chairman adopted that he highlighted human rights violations through his Twitter handle and tried to defend the aggrieved and deprived segments of the society, and also for the supremacy of the Constitution and the Rule of Law.

He argued that through notices, the respondents were trying to harass, humiliate, blackmail, and arrest him illegally, unlawfully, without due process of law, and that the same was part of the campaign of silencing sane voices.

He informed the court that time and again, he requested the SHO to provide him a copy of the complaint, evidence, and material, if any, so that he may furnish his defence but the SHO flatly refused to provide any document to him.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021