ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has condemned the act of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) of sending notices to party’s lawmakers, including ministers, for allegedly delivering contemptuous speeches and termed it a “politically-motivated” move.

“It is apparent that this is witch-hunting and using state machinery against party spokespersons and office-bearers,” a PPP spokesman and party’s chief media coordinator Nazir Dhoki said in a statement issued here on Sunday.

Last week, the FIA had issued notices to three Sindh ministers, five members of the National Assembly and other PPP leaders to appear in person in a case of “delivering contemptuous, derogatory and indecent speeches” against the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP).

The FIA had registered an FIR against PPP activist Masoodur Rehman Abbasi on a complaint lodged by Mohammad Sohail Sajid under sections 10, 11, 20 of PECA and sections 500, 505 and 109 of the Pakistan Penal Code. The Supreme Court also initiated a contempt petition against Mr Abbasi on charges of using derogatory and contemptuous language against the CJP.

The FIA’s Cyber Crime Centre had sent notices for personal appearances to three provincial ministers — Syeda Shehla Raza, Saeed Ghani and Nasir Husain Shah — and five MNAs, Naz Baloch, Dr Nafisa Shah, Shahida Rehmani, Qadir Mandokhel and Abdul Qadir Patel, and other PPP leaders as “during the investigation, it came on record that the accused, Masood Abbasi, has sent the alleged video to the said personalities on June 17 and June 18, respectively”, according to contents of the notices sent by Imran Haider, assistant director of FIA.

Published in Dawn, August 9th, 2021