‘Malicious’ social media drive against IHC CJ denounced

ISLAMABAD: The Islam­abad High Court Bar Associ­ation (IHCBA) on Sunday condemned the ongoing “malicious campaign circulating on social media targeting the Chief Justice of the Islamabad High Court (IHC), Justice Aamer Farooq”. A statement issued by IHCBA president Naveed Malik stated that the bar strongly condemned the ongoing malicious campaign circulating on social media against the IHC chief justice, although it did not mention anyone as responsible for it. The ministry of law, as reported by PPI, held the PTI responsible for the campaign. Justice Farooq, who has been hearing Imran Khan’s appeal against the trial court’s decision that convicted the PTI chairman in the Toshakhana case, was recently accused by the former prime minister of trying to keep the petitioner behind bars to prevent him from contesting general elections. The chief justice is scheduled to hear the final arguments on Monday (today). The IHCBA statement noted, “Justice Farooq, renowned for his unwavering commitment to the principles of honesty and competence, has consistently demonstrated these qualities through his impartial and merit-based judgements.” It further said that relentless campaign, driven by ulterior motives to tarnish the impeccable reputation of the chief justice, can only be perceived as deliberate and malevolent effort to undermine the stature of a distinguished judge and erode public trust in the judiciary. “We are resolute in our determination to prevent such evil intentions from coming to fruition at any cost,” the statement said. “We will call upon the authorities to take swift and decisive action against the instigators of this malicious propaganda, holding them accountable for their actions in a court of law. It is imperative that their true motives and the full extent of their disinformation efforts be exposed and addressed promptly,” it said. It is relevant to note that the former prime minister, Mr Khan, through his lawyers, had filed a petition before the Supreme Court, requesting the transfer of all his cases being adjudicated in the IHC to some provincial high courts. The ministry of law also strongly condemned the campaign being run against the IHC chief justice and held the PTI responsible for it. According to PPI, the ministry said that political parties should refrain from attacking state institutions. Published in Dawn, August 28th, 2023
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