Journalists Ko Nayi Pabandiyun Ka Samna - Matiullah Jan's Reaction
Journalists Ko Nayi Pabandiyun Ka Samna - Matiullah Jan's Reaction
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00:00 Sir, please tell us, these restrictions were already there but they were not being followed.
00:07 But at such a time, they are being followed.
00:12 How are the court reporters and YouTubers viewing this?
00:15 Thank you very much, Meher.
00:19 I think the news we have been hearing today,
00:23 especially in Islamabad, the three educational institutions have been closed due to security threats.
00:32 And then there was a very extraordinary kind of incident.
00:34 Today, a bomb disposal squad also came to the Supreme Court and went towards the judges' block.
00:40 So, I will see this notification that has come out today in the same context.
00:45 I have nothing to say about it because all the things that have been said in today's notification,
00:52 the instructions and guidelines of the Supreme Court have already been issued in various places.
01:00 Another thing is that a little bit of confusion has been seen before.
01:04 For example, as far as the security checking is concerned,
01:07 the bag is already searched by the scanner.
01:12 When I take a bag, it is searched in the scanner and whatever is inside the scanner is already happening.
01:21 And then the video clips and interviews that are in the building of the Supreme Court,
01:25 in relation to that, there are notices in various places in the building of the Supreme Court,
01:32 in which it is written that the building of the Supreme Court is licensed for video recording.
01:36 Now, in that, we used to take a little liberty,
01:39 we used to record from the mobile phone with Atif Bukhla outside the courtroom,
01:43 because the mobile phone is allowed to be taken inside the building, but the room is not in the court.
01:47 So, I think now, in relation to that, there are instructions and guidelines in the reminder or strictness.
01:54 Then the cell phone is not allowed in the court room anyway.
01:58 No one was taking it yet. No one has ever taken a cell phone to court.
02:02 Only when there is a live telecast, cameras are allowed at that time,
02:08 especially and that too only of Pakistan Television.
02:10 So this is also not a new instruction.
02:12 And it is said that there will be a special hearing, so there is limited space in it.
02:18 Obviously, the rooms are jam-packed.
02:20 So, two people also come from each TV channel.
02:25 So, it is said that only one reporter of each channel will be accommodated.
02:33 If we look at it practically, I don't think anyone could have been followed so strictly.
02:38 So, I think these security instructions are a reminder.
02:44 But the YouTubers you have talked about, definitely in relation to YouTubers,
02:48 neither our Press Association of the Supreme Court has its own policy on how to accommodate them.
02:56 And YouTubers, because their background is not generalistic,
03:00 and there are a large number of YouTubers whose political parties are their employees and their affiliations.
03:06 Very few people are like this, who are journalists and do YouTube and are affiliated with media organizations.
03:13 But one thing is clear, Mr. Matpula, there will be many such people,
03:15 there will be freelance journalists, the future of journalism is inevitably digital.
03:20 Definitely.
03:20 So, social media is the best.
03:22 And I think there is still room for journalists.
03:26 Obviously, they have still issued a list in the evening,
03:30 in which they have said that the Supreme Court has been facilitating a lot before,
03:34 and there are names of freelance journalists and foreign media journalists in it.
03:37 When a big case comes, the Supreme Court, especially the freelance journalists or foreign media,
03:42 accommodates them.
03:44 So, the truth is that in the current security situation,
03:47 I will call it a reminder, not a fresh instruction.
03:54 Has there been a routine check-in and investigation in the Supreme Court today,
04:00 which you are telling about security, or was there any such intelligence?
04:04 It is difficult to say this, but we have seen the Bomb Disposal Squad before,
04:11 whenever a big case comes, it is all set up there.
04:15 But we have seen that today the Bomb Disposal Squad has come,
04:19 the judge has gone to the block specially, so it may be a routine.
04:23 But today, Islamabad has closed three educational institutions,
04:28 and the universities have been given security threats.
04:31 So, these things can be connected with that,
04:34 but I don't think there is any such deliberate,
04:37 from the Supreme Court, any such fresh security instruction,
04:40 which will help the media.
04:42 And Mr. Mathew Lajan, you are looking at it from a security prism,
04:44 but many journalists are looking at it from the perspective of killing or influencing freedom of expression.
04:50 Last year, Justice Qazi Faiz Isa said that the conduct of the judges present at Pemra,
04:55 or the way they are dealing with the case,
04:57 the order of restriction on that is the law, the law, the morals,
05:00 to the extent that it is a violation of Islam.
05:02 According to Justice Qazi Faiz Isa,
05:04 if judges are not allowed to criticize, it is neither beneficial to the public,
05:08 nor to the judiciary, in fact, he used the word, it is inexplicable.
05:13 We are unable to understand why this is happening.
05:15 So, in that perspective, are you seeing it at all that way?
05:20 I think I will not see it in that perspective.
05:23 There is no doubt that Chief Justice Qazi Faiz Isa,
05:26 sees the role of the media from a special perspective,
05:30 and he has had complaints about the media.
05:33 Facts and opinions, especially the content of YouTube,
05:36 facts and opinions are mixed on it,
05:40 it is not defined separately.
05:42 This is their complaint,
05:43 and recently, after the return of the bullet mark,
05:47 there was a lot of criticism on it,
05:50 and we have seen that the government of Vifaqi has announced to make a JIT,
05:53 and today, through Vifaqi,
05:55 there is a press conference in which it has been said that
05:59 there will be an investigation on social media,
06:02 which will use inappropriate words against the judges of the Supreme Court.
06:06 So, I think, there is a chilling effect of this,
06:09 but I am not seeing it like that,
06:12 that the security instructions of today,
06:15 and the situation of the country,
06:17 there are 16 days left in the elections,
06:19 the most important political issues are being settled in the courts,
06:22 so freedom of expression is a fundamental right,
06:25 is there a commission that can protect the court from criticism,
06:29 and try to suppress the voices of disagreement or debate?
06:34 The FIA and the law of the PICA,
06:39 and the law of the PICA was passed by the Islamabad High Court,
06:42 and the Chief Justice of Islamabad High Court,
06:45 Justice Asim Manila, has made it very clear,
06:49 how that law will be used,
06:51 what will be the procedure,
06:52 there will be a notice,
06:53 there will be an inquiry,
06:54 but the way the government of Vifaqi is doing press conferences on purpose,
06:58 and the way the security arrangements are being used,
07:02 there is a chilling effect being created from it,
07:04 and I think the government of Vifaqi,
07:06 is deliberately trying to make the judges of the Supreme Court,
07:09 and especially the Chief Justice,
07:11 into an embarrassing position,
07:14 which will give the impression that the Supreme Court,
07:16 or the Chief Justice,
07:17 is against the freedom of the media.
07:19 Or they are overly sensitive to criticism,
07:21 so are you seeing the character of the government of Vifaqi,
07:23 or are you seeing a mishandling?
07:24 I think that the government of Vifaqi,
07:27 is deliberately trying to make the Chief Justice,
07:29 into an embarrassing position,
07:31 and is trying to increase the political certainty,
07:35 that after the elections on 8th February,
07:38 the Chief Justice will be standing with the media,
07:44 so that the media will also be with the Chief Justice,
07:47 on the day of the elections.
07:50 Thank you very much, Mateeullah Jaan, for being with us.