In Islamabad, former army chief General (retired) Qamar Javed Bajwa and ex-spy chief Lt Gen (retired) Faiz Hameed find themselves in the spotlight as notices have been issued to them following a petition filed in the Islamabad High Court (IHC). The petition, filed by citizen Atif Ali, seeks action against these former military officials in light of their controversial interviews.
Chief Justice Aamer Farooq of the IHC also extended notices to journalists Javed Chaudhary, Shahid Maitla, and the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) in response to the citizen’s petitions.
The crux of the matter revolves around allegations that these journalists penned two articles based on interviews with the retired generals, which, according to the petitioner, had a “negative impact” on society. The ex-generals are accused of distorting facts related to various events during these media interviews, potentially violating laws governing retired servicemen.
The petitioner contends that, under the guise of freedom of speech, a “criminal act” occurred, and a case should be registered, though no action has been taken thus far.
It is claimed that Generals Bajwa and Faiz presented national events in a false and fabricated manner, ultimately tarnishing the image of state institutions. The news articles, in an effort to gain attention, cast a negative shadow on these institutions under the guise of journalism.
This ongoing campaign, in light of these incidents, appears to aim at sowing seeds of distrust between the people and state institutions. Earlier this year, the former army chief’s interviews touched upon various critical matters, including PTI chief Imran Khan’s potential ouster from power and the dynamics of civil-military relations, among other topics.
