WTP Report
The caretaker government on Tuesday established a six-member joint investigation team (JIT) to “reveal the facts surrounding an alleged malicious social media campaign” against the Supreme Court judges.
According to a notification issued by the interior ministry, the committee was formed under Section 30 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016.
Headed by the additional director-general of the Federal Investigation Agency’s Cyber Crime Wing, the JIT comprises representatives from the Intelligence Bureau, Inter-Services Intelligence, the deputy inspector-general of Islamabad police, a representative from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, and any other co-opted member.
The notification specified that the JIT is required to submit a preliminary report to the Ministry of Interior within a fortnight, with additional support from the FIA headquarters during the investigation. No specific social media posts were identified as part of the alleged campaign.
The JIT’s mandate, as outlined in the notification, is to “ascertain the facts behind a supposed malicious social media campaign aimed at damaging the reputation of the honorable judges of the Supreme Court.”
The committee is responsible for identifying and prosecuting the culprits according to relevant laws, presenting charges in appropriate courts, and recommending measures to prevent similar incidents in the future.
After extensive hearings last week, a three-member bench of the Supreme Court, led by Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa, upheld the Election Commission of Pakistan’s decision to invalidate the PTI’s electoral symbol ‘bat’ and declared its intra-party polls as “unconstitutional.”
