The Supreme Court of Pakistan has issued a directive preventing the trial court from formally indicting journalist Matiullah Jan in a terrorism-related case until a decision is made on whether the terrorism charges should be dropped. The case is currently being heard by an anti-terrorism court where Jan faces trial.
In a significant development, the apex court instructed the Islamabad High Court to promptly hear and decide on a petition seeking the removal of terrorism provisions from Jan’s case. Jan’s legal representative, Qadeer Janjua, appeared before the Supreme Court during the proceedings. Notably, the prosecution did not oppose the Supreme Court’s order to the Islamabad High Court, with a deputy prosecutor confirming no objection to the instructions.
Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar emphasized that until the petition is resolved, no formal charges can be framed against the journalist. Previously, Jan had filed an application in the trial court requesting dismissal of the terrorism charges, which was rejected, prompting him to challenge the decision before the Islamabad High Court, where the matter remains pending.
Meanwhile, Islamabad police informed the trial court that the original narcotics forensic report associated with the case had been lost during official correspondence. They submitted photocopies of the report with a supplementary challan and requested the court to accept these copies as part of the judicial record. The filing clarified that the forensic analysis was negative, and no narcotics charges were pursued based on the report.
The case against Matiullah Jan was registered at Margalla Police Station on November 28, 2024. Earlier, a laboratory report from the Punjab Forensic Science Agency, submitted to the Islamabad High Court, indicated that the substance allegedly recovered from Jan did not contain methamphetamine, commonly known as “ice,” thereby weakening the narcotics allegations against him.
