Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa expressed concerns on Monday on the use of the Supreme Court’s name in initiating action against journalist and vlogger Asad Toor, highlighting discrepancies in the First Information Report (FIR) filed by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

“The inquiry notice [sent to Asad Toor] stated that he is being summoned in an inquiry related to an anti-judiciary campaign whereas the FIR didn’t even mention as such,” CJP Isa said.

During a hearing of a suo motu case, a three-member Supreme Court bench, comprising CJP Isa, Justice Muhammed Ali Mazhar, and Justice Mussarat Hilali, addressed issues of journalists’ harassment over FIA summons related to the Joint Investigation Team’s (JIT) probe into an alleged anti-judiciary campaign.

On January 17, the then-caretaker government formed a JIT to investigate a social media campaign targeting Supreme Court judges following a verdict on the election symbol of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). However, the court intervened after FIA summons were sent to journalists and prohibited action against individuals criticizing the apex court.

Despite the court’s intervention, Toor was arrested by the FIA on February 26 in connection with the alleged smear campaign against the Supreme Court and CJP and is currently in custody.

During the hearing, Barrister Salahuddin Ahmed, representing the Press Association of the Supreme Court (PAS) and the Islamabad High Court Journalists Association (IHCJA), informed the court of Toor’s incarceration.

The CJP questioned the reasons behind Toor’s imprisonment, prompting the lawyer to refer to the FIR against the journalist and request the court to invalidate the government’s notification forming the JIT.

CJP Isa raised concerns about the charges in the FIR against Toor, particularly those related to sensitive information, questioning their relevance and applicability.

Highlighting the discrepancies in the FIA’s notice and the FIR against Toor, CJP Isa said: “Neither any SC judge nor the registrar had filed any complaint to the FIA”.

“The officials of FIA are bringing disrepute to the judiciary,” the chief justice observed while lamenting the prospects of the judiciary’s image being tarnished before the public.

“Why shouldn’t we send a notice to the FIA for contempt of court?” he questioned.

Furthermore, the top judge admonished the Inspector General Police (IGP) Islamabad for failing to make progress in apprehending suspects despite video evidence, hinting at the possibility of the IGP’s dismissal for inadequate performance.