Colleagues gifted a “small care package”, including painkillers, antibiotic ointment, pepper spray, a muzzle, and dog biscuits, “for safety purposes”.
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC) remarked Thursday that a “organized campaign” against judges was “unfortunate,” stressing that directly assaulting jurors violated freedom of expression.
The Supreme Court’s declaration was in response to “misreporting” in social, electronic, and print media about a case decided on February 6, 2024.
Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa, who presided over a two-member panel that included Justice Mussarat Hilali, delivered the order in response to petitioner Mubarik Ahmad Sani’s appeals against a Lahore High Court order.
Sani was charged of distributing/disseminating a proscribed book, Tafseer-e-Sagheer, which the prosecution claimed was an offense under the Punjab Holy Quran (Printing and Recording) (Amendment) Act, which went into effect in 2021.
However, the FIR claimed that he committed the conduct in 2019, when it was not an offense.
Referring to the ruling, the Supreme Court observed that when dealing with instances involving religious offenses, facts give way to emotions, and Islamic precepts are ignored.
“Confusion is spreading as a result of incorrectly reporting an order in print, social, and electronic media. It appears that the Supreme Court has veered from the Constitution’s definition of a Muslim and has also advocated for the abolition of punishments for religious violations under the Pakistan Penal Code,” the statement continued. “This impression is totally wrong.”
