LAHORE: In a detailed judgement on WikiLeaks reports on Pakistan, Lahore High Court Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed on Friday observed that the reports had exposed the true face of the country’s politicians and it helped the nation understand the real mind set of its rulers.
The judge dismissed the petition seeking a ban on the publication, printing and broadcasting of the WikiLeaks reports on Pakistan, observing that access to facts and the truth could not be denied to the citizens of Pakistan.
The judge said nothing was greater than the truth and what WikiLeaks reports published now, “our media has been revealing to the masses since a long time”.
The judge said the reports were based on facts, adding that they were shameful for some personalities in the country as they exposed bitter realities.
The petition was filed by Arif Gondal advocate contending that the WikiLeaks cables about Pakistan and the Islamic states aimed at creating tensions and souring ties between these countries.
He also contended that the reports not only purported to malign Pakistani leadership but also the military therefore their publication should be banned. The court observed that so far no contradiction had come by the government, any of its departments or politicians in the country.
The court observed that the reports were based on communications between the US diplomats and Pakistani politicians and it was hard to contradict them. The judge noted that the courts of 178 states across the world could not restrain from publishing the reports then why should there be restriction on its publication in Pakistan.
The petitioner contended that the reports could derail the system in the country, to which the court remarked, “May God shower His mercy on such a system which is susceptible to instability through a communication.”
WikiLeaks has unmasked politicians’ true face: LHC
