KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Wednesday directed the Federal Investigation Agency and Pakistan Telecommunication Authority to block defamatory posts on social media against actor Mehwish Hayat.
A two-judge bench headed by Justice Naimatullah Phulpoto issued notices to all the respondents and deputy attorney general for Jan 26.
Citing the ministry of interior, FIA and PTA as respondents, Ms Hayat submitted in the petition that “derogatory, defamatory, malicious, incendiary and sensationalising allegations” made by YouTuber Adil Farooq Raja against her and three other actors on Dec 31, 2022 on social networking websites.
Her counsel Khawaja Naveed Ahmed stated that a similar petition was also filed by actor Rabia Iqbal Khan, better known as Kubra Khan, and the SHC had already passed an interim order on the said petition.
The actor submitted that the YouTuber in his video “causing an affront to their modesty and dignity by alleging that they were used by intelligence agencies and the establishment to lure politicians into compromising positions at safe houses maintained by such agencies where videos were made of such actresses with such politicians”.
She submitted the she had approached the FIA’s cybercrime wing and PTA, but they had failed to take any action against the YouTuber.
The bench asked the FIA and PTA to take immediate steps to discharge their duties and directed its office to fix the matter with other identical petition for hearing on the next date.
Speaking to the media outside the court, Ms Hayat hoped that the people who defamed her would be held accountable for their actions.
Published in Dawn, January 12th, 2023
