Journalists can’t be stopped from performing their duties: IHC CJ

ISLAMABAD: Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Athar Minallah said the journalists couldn’t be stopped from performing their duties.

IHC chief justice gave these remarks Wednesday when president Islamabad High Court Journalist Association (IHCJA) Saqib Bashir on behalf of the court reporters appeared before the chief justice and raised the matter regarding threats to journalists by some lawyers when they were storming the IHC building Monday.

A number of lawyers on that day had stopped the journalists from recording the incident and even threatened them of dire consequences.

IHCJA Secretary Ehtesham Kiani, former president Amir Saeed Abbasi and joint secretary of the association Farah Mahjabeen were also present in the courtroom and drew the chief justice’s attention towards threats to journalists.

The chief justice while taking notice of the matter made it clear that journalists could not be stopped from carrying out their professional duties. Justice Athar Minallah remarked that making public well-informed about the facts is the responsibility of the media and a right of the people and they cannot be deprived of this right. “This court has given judgments in this connection in the past and made it clear that journalists cannot be stopped from carrying out their professional duties,” he added. Saqib Bashir thanked the chief justice and said the journalists’ community in general and court reporters in particular would keep highlighting the injustices and matters of public interest without any fear.