A Pakistani court has admitted a petition seeking registration of a case against the private Geo News channel for beaming a report that said Ajmal Amir Iman, the lone terrorist captured for the Mumbai attacks, is a resident of a village in Punjab province.
Setting aside an objection raised by the court registrar's office, Lahore High Court's acting Chief Justice Mian Najamuzzaman yesterday admitted the petition seeking registration of a case against the employees and owners of the channel.
Pakistan People's Party leader Sardar Hur Bukhari filed the petition in his personal capacity. On Tuesday, the registrar's office had objected to the petition, saying it fell under the jurisdiction of subordinate courts, and advised Bukhari to avail that remedy first.
Bukhari said he had filed an application with police for registering a case against Geo News's Lahore bureau chief, reporters and cameraman as well as owners of the channel for beaming the report which had "damaged Pakistan's image" across the world. But police had refused to register a case, he added.
He then decided to approach the court to direct the police to register an FIR.
Geo News recently aired what it said was secretly filmed footage of residents of Faridkot acknowledging that Ajmal, alias Kasab, was a resident of the village. One resident said Ajmal had last visited Faridkot about six months ago, when he told his mother he was going away for 'jehad'.
