ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has declared that tweeting in relation to any trend cannot attract criminal liability unless the words used in the tweet constitute as offensive under a penal statute.
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The decision came in a case pertaining to a tweet, posted during a controversial hashtag trending on Twitter.
The IHC declared that registration of FIR 17/2022 (regarding participating in controversial hashtag campaign on twitter) was registered without lawful authority, and the offences for which the petitioner had been charged with, were not attracted in relation to the tweet that had been attributed to the petitioner, thus rendering no possibility of conviction of the accused.
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The IHC also declared that the registration of FIR was an abuse of process of law at enforcing illegal censorship of speech.
The IHC in its judgment remarked that instead of indulging in such behavior to carry favor with public officials in high offices, FIA and the ministry of interior would do best by focusing on the discharge of their lawful duties and obligations in providing security to the citizens.
