The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has summoned a total of 65 individuals, including 47 from both mainstream and social media, as part of an ongoing investigation into a malicious campaign against judges of the Supreme Court.
This move follows the dissemination of slanderous content across various social media accounts, including those affiliated with TV channels, particularly in response to the recent verdict on the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) election symbol.
The notices issued to the individuals involved, with hearings scheduled for January 30 and 31. The probe focuses on the alleged engagement of these social media accounts in running anti-judiciary campaigns over several months.
Among the notable names summoned by the FIA are Asad Ali Toor, Paras Jahanzeb, Iqrar Ul Hassan, Siddique Jan, Matiullah, Syed Akbar Hussain, Danish Qamar, Saqib Bashir, Sajjad Ali Khan, Syed Haider Raza Mehdi, Shaheen Sehbai, Cyril Almeida, Rizwan Ahmed Khan, Adeel Raja, Riaz Ul Haq, Sabir Shakir, Syed Essan Hassan Naqvi, Muhammad Faheem Akhtar, Saqib Hussain, Sohail Rasheed, Nasir Mehmood, Ehtisham Naseer, Sibtain Raza, Shiraz Afzal, Muzammal Afzal, M. Afzaal Bela, Nasreen Qidwai, Jibran Nasir, Tayyab Ijaz, and Aneela Munir.
The list also includes Zeeshan Ali, Hafiz Shakir Mehmood, Ayaz Ahmed, Tariq Mateen, Salman Singer, Azhar Mashwani, Adnan Amal Zaidi, Imran Riaz, Paris Jahanzeb, Orya Jan Maqbool, Zahid Qayum Warraich, Arif Hameed Bhatti, Nazar Muhammad Chohan, Fazal Javed, M. Akram, Sara Taseer, and Mateen Hasnain.
Earlier, the government had established a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) led by the additional director-general of the FIA’s Cyber Crime Wing, along with representatives from the Intelligence Bureau, Inter-Services Intelligence, the deputy inspector-general of Islamabad police, and a representative from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority.
The JIT’s mandate is to ascertain the facts behind a malicious social media campaign aimed at tarnishing the image of the honorable judges of the Supreme Court.
The committee is empowered to identify and prosecute perpetrators in accordance with relevant laws, submit charges in appropriate courts, and propose preventive measures for similar incidents in the future.
