Islamabad: Former Army Chief General (R) Qamar Javed Bajwa and former ISI Chief General Faiz Hameed are under scrutiny as a request to register a case against them under the Anti-Terrorism Act has been filed. The request, filed on November 28th, is set for a hearing by Chief Justice Amir Farooq in Rawalpindi. Atif Ali, a citizen from Rawalpindi, lodged the petition, alleging that Generals Bajwa and Hameed breached legal and ethical boundaries post-retirement by distorting events and issuing false statements.
The petition contends that their actions amount to a serious offense warranting a case under the Anti-Terrorism Act, stemming from their alleged collaboration in illicitly obtaining benefits. Javed Chaudhry and Shahid Maitla are also mentioned in the petition, with the petitioner claiming that their two articles, ostensibly for advertising purposes, had a detrimental impact on society.
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The petition seeks to shed light on efforts to sow distrust between the public and state institutions by portraying negative images of state agencies through media articles, thereby encroaching on freedom of expression. Despite the registration of the case by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), no action has been taken. Consequently, the court has intervened, ordering the case to be registered and placing restrictions on PEMRA, the regulatory authority.