ISLAMABAD   -  The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Monday adjourned hearing till March 27, in a suo-motu case against the FIA’s notices to journalists on al­leged anti-judiciary campaign. 

A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa, heard the case. During the course of proceedings, the CJP re­marked that the top court also took notice of journalists’ harassment in 2021. He said that if quick action would had been taken on it such a situation could have been avoided today. He remarked that matter was more severe than the FIA notices. 

Press Association of Supreme Court and Islamabad High Court Journal­ists Association’s lawyer Barrister Salahuddin argued that section-20 of Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) had been misused repeatedly. 

He said that FIA was authorized to arrest one after an inquiry, adding that this authority was used to sup­press the journalists and media. The CJP questioned that if the court could stop registration of an FIR. An FIR could be false but the matter would be seen as case-to-case, he said. 

During hearing, the Pakistan Fed­eral Union of Journalists (PFUJ) and Rawalpindi-Islamabad Union of Jour­nalists (RIUJ) also requested the court to make them as respondent in the case. Later, the further hearing of the case was adjourned till next date.