IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah was hearing the petitions filed against the ongoing inquiries by the FIA’s cybercrime wing against journalists Bilal Ghauri, Asad Toor and others. — AFP/File
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday warned the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) cybercrime wing to exercise its powers judiciously or else the court would impose heavy cost on the investigation officers for misuse of authority.
IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah was hearing the petitions filed against the ongoing inquiries by the FIA’s cybercrime wing against journalists Bilal Ghauri, Asad Toor and others.
When the chief justice inquired from the FIA cybercrime wing’s director Babar Bakhat Qureshi about number of pending complaints, he informed the court that they were in thousands. The chief justice then asked him why the FIA was giving the impression that it was proceeding against journalists only. “You need to dispel this impression, since crushing the dissenting voices is against the Islamic injunctions and norms of civilised society,” he remarked, adding that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) encouraged dissent in the early age of Islam.