ISLAMABAD: Senior anchorperson and investigative journalist Arshad Sharif has written a letter to President Dr Arif Alvi to seek the protection of his fundamental rights as an individual and journalists in general in view of the grave threat to the life and liberty of journalists, ARY News reported on Tuesday.
Arshad Sharif highlighted the threats to the life and liberty of journalists and illegal attempts to stop them from exercising their rights and duties ensured by the Constitution of Pakistan.
He wrote, “As a law-abiding citizen of Pakistan, I seek justice and protection law to ensure my fundamental rights and fundamental rights of journalists and place information about grave threat to life and liberty to self and other journalists on the record.”
“Honourable Dr Arif Alvi, as investigative journalist who was conferred Pride of Performance for Investigative Journalism by the State of Pakistan in 2019, I bring to your kind notice that an attempt is being made by certain unscrupulous elements to target and illegally restrain the undersigned from exercising rights and duties ensured by Article 4, Article 9, Article 10 A, Article 14, Article 18, Article 19 and 19 A of the Constitution of Pakistan.”
He wrote, “Based on credible information from reliable sources I place it on record that discussions were held by certain “unscrupulous elements” to involve the undersigned in false, bogus, fabricated criminal cases; to kidnap and make enforced disappearance or to beat the undersigned and other journalists.”
“As per my credible sources, the same planning has allegedly been done against other journalists including Arif Hameed Bhatti, Imran Riaz Khan, Sami Ibrahim, Sabir Shakir, Siddique Jan, Dr Moeed Peerzada, Jameel Faruqi and a few others.”
The senior anchorperson of ARY News also shared the Twitter posts of different journalists including Imran Riaz Khan, Arif Hameed Bhatti, in which they warned Sharif and other fellow journalists of facing serious threats of attacks.
Arshad Sharif added, “The threat to my life and fundamental rights is posed by elements whose nefarious designs were frustrated when the undersigned approached Islamabad High Court (IHC).
“The Honourable Chief Justice Islamabad High Court, Chief Justice Athar Minhallah provided the undersigned protection of law against attempts to illegally arrest the undersigned in bogus, malicious FIRS in the following words in Order Dated 23/05/2022 in W.P 1812/2022 titled Arshad Sharif and 2 Others Versus Federation of Pakistan, etc:
“The petitioners are aggrieved because they assert that multiple criminal cases have been registered against them throughout the country pursuant to complaints made by private citizens. In response to a query, they have stated that no complaint has been filed by any organ or institution of the State nor by the respective governments.”
“The learned counsels have stated that registration of multiple criminal cases violate the fundamental rights of the petitioners and their right to liberty. The learned counsels have further stated that it is likely that other criminal cases may also be registered against the petitioners for other than bonafide reasons.”
“The petitioners are engaged in the profession of journalism and the criminal cases have been registered in the context of their speech. They have no criminal record. It appears to the Court that, prima facie, the petitioners have reasonable grounds to believe that criminal cases have been registered for other than bonafide reasons,” continued Sharif.
He also reminded the IHC’s specific orders in this regards and stating the instructions in his letter, “The Inspector General of Police Islamabad Capital Territory and the Deputy Commissioner, Islamabad Capital Territory are directed not to curtail the liberty of the petitioners not hand them over to officials of other provinces without seeking permission from the Court.”
The investigative journalist also said that the president also wrote a letter to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif regarding the grave threat to journalists.
Through his letter, Sharif sought to ensure protection the fundamental rights of him and other journalists who are facing threats across the country.
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