Chief Justice (CJ) of Islamabad High Court (IHC) Athar Minallah has said that the IHC did not believe in the contempt of court laws and a campaign was also underway against him but it didn’t make any difference to the court.
During the hearing of a petition by the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), he said that if someone says something wrong let them say it as the truth has to come out one day.
“The UN letter is enough for all of them. Does the government want another letter to come to us? There should be no bar on freedom of speech for the revival of the Constitution. Always the wrong campaign has been unleashed with reference to this court,” Justice Minallah said directing the PFUJ to submit in writing to the court that the state was no more there.
CJ Minallah also said that the court would not restrain anyone from criticism based on truth. The petition was filed against the harassment of journalists in the country.
He remarked that the reputation of every court was linked with the decisions and conduct that every court reporter knows better; adding that everyone was free to do anything but think over what you are doing.
Naming a renowned journalist on a private TV channel, CJ Minallah said that he criticizes the court strongly but the court was happy because they tell the nation what Athar Minallah doesn’t know. He said that the court was not impressed by anything earlier and it would not be in the future as time would tell on whose side the court was standing.
Calling criticism the power of the court he noted that IHC was the only court against which campaign of every kind was launched.
PFUJ counsel and President cited different instances of cases filed against journalists in different cities of the country saying that despite the court’s directions for looking into the cases.
CJ Minallah remarked that all would be ok if the constitution would be fully revived in the country as so far the constitution couldn’t be restored fully. He said that the journalists’ associations, parliament and the federal government would have to think over it as to why the UN was telling us about it.
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