LAHORE: A petition seeking sedition charges against senior journalist Hamid Mir was filed in the Lahore High Court (LHC) for his speech containing very serious derogatory remarks against the institution of Pakistan.
The petition against Mir was filed by Advocate Nadeem Sarwar on behalf of Sardar Farrukh Mushtaq and named the Federation of Pakistan through the Ministry of Law and Justice, the Ministry of Interior and Mir as respondents.
In the petition, he claimed that Mir’s behavior amounted to contempt of society and its institutions and that the respondents had failed to take appropriate action in accordance with Section 124-A (Sedition) of the Pakistan Penal Code, 1860.
“Sedition is a crime against the whole society, in all civilized countries and orderly governments. The integrity and preservation of the state and its institutions is a matter of great vital concern and is so sacred that no attempt at its disruption or weakening, directly or indirectly will be countenanced,” read the petition.
The petitioner argued, “In the present case the federal government has failed to lodge a complaint against Hamid Mir which is a mandatory duty of the government. The act and inaction on upon the part of government functionaries amount to dereliction of duty prescribed by the Constitution and law.” The petition urged the LHC to direct the government to lodge a complaint against Mir through an authorized individual.
Mir, the longtime host of the popular Capital Talk, had last week delivered a fiery speech calling for accountability for the repeated assaults on journalists while speaking at a protest against the attack on Asad Ali Toor.
Mir had also warned in his speech of retaliation if the attacks on journalists continued. He was subsequently taken off the air and told BBC Urdu that he had been informed by the Geo News management that he would “not go on air on Monday” to host his five-days-a-week show Capital Talk.
