MUZAFFARABAD (Kashmir English): The Azad Jammu and Kashmir High Court has suspended the formerly registered FIR against Daily Jammu & Kashmir newspaper. The decision was announced today by Chief Justice Sadaqat Hussain Raja in response to a petition filed by the paper’s Chief Editor, Amir Mehboob.
The court issued notices to the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government and Muzaffarabad police, asking them to respond to the petition. The court said that both sides will be heard before deciding whether the petition is maintainable or not.
However, in the meantime, the FIR against Daily Jammu & Kashmir has been suspended to prevent any potential harm to the petitioner.
According to the court, the FIR against Daily Jammu & Kashmir has been put on hold because the applicant could suffer an irreparable loss if any action is taken before the case is properly heard. The suspension will stay in place until the court makes a final decision.
The FIR was initially registered by the Civil Secretariat Police Station in Muzaffarabad. Amir Mehboob had filed a petition in the AJK High Court asking for the cancellation of the FIR. He was represented in court by Haroon Riaz Mughal Advocate.
Previously, the government of Azad Jammu and Kashmir came under criticism from journalist unions across Pakistan for lodging the FIR against the newspaper. The case sparked widespread concern about press freedom in the region.
The Daily Jammu & Kashmir, one of the oldest newspapers in Muzaffarabad, was accused of spreading “fake news” and “negative propaganda” against state institutions. The FIR against Daily Jammu & Kashmir was based on articles published on March 26 and 28, which reportedly discussed the creation of a new paramilitary Rangers force.
The AJK Home Department filed a complaint on April 6, stating that the news reports contained incorrect information and harmed the image of the government. The case included multiple charges under the Azad Penal Code, including defamation and public criticism of officials.
The move followed last year’s amendment to Section 505 of the region’s Penal Code, which made criticism of officials a criminal offence, punishable by at least seven years in prison.
Journalist bodies, including the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), strongly condemned the FIR against Daily Jammu & Kashmir.
PFUJ President Afzal Butt had warned that if the FIR against Daily Jammu & Kashmir was not withdrawn, protests would be launched across Azad Kashmir and Pakistan.
He had also said that this was the first time a newspaper in Azad Kashmir has faced a police case. The Rawalpindi Islamabad Union of Journalists (RIUJ) also condemned the action, calling it an attack on press freedom.
RIUJ President Tariq Ali Virk had urged the government to withdraw the FIR against Daily Jammu & Kashmir immediately, warning that continued pressure on journalists would not be tolerated.
