ISLAMABAD: An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Tuesday deleted sections of Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) invoked against the Rawalpindi-based cleric Agha Iftikharuddin Mirza who had hurled threats and abuses at Justice Qazi Faez Isa and other judges of the Supreme Court.

The threats were made in a video lecture that went viral on social media in June this year.

Following the incident, Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed took suo motu notice of this incident.

ATC Judge Shahrukh Arjumand deciding petition filed by the cleric ruled that the offence did not fall under the ambit of ATA. Subsequently, he referred the case back to the sessions court.

The cleric was facing proceedings under the Prevention of Electronic Crime Act 2016 (PECA) and section 500 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) besides section 6 of the ATA.

However, after the deletion of the section 6 of ATA, the accused would be tried under the PECA and PPC.

Section 500 of the PPC suggests punishment that may extend to two years with fine for defamation.

During the hearing of the suo motu case, Mirza submitted an affidavit to the Supreme Court which stated: “In a private meeting during conversation [he] unintentionally uttered some words against judiciary, honourable judges. [He] has lots of regrets, and feels sorry for those words; he seeks unconditional apology and surrenders himself at mercy of the honourable Supreme Court.”

Published in Dawn, October 28th, 2020