The Supreme Court has denied a news item published in an English newspaper that the documents about immunity have been stolen from the house of an SC official.
In a statement, the Supreme Court said the correspondent of the newspaper has given a false/misleading account, perhaps to twist the story, so as to sensationalize it.
“The news item states inter alia that the said reporter talked with the Registrar Supreme Court in respect of the reported burglary incident at the house of the court official, Yousaf Jan, Judicial Assistant, working in the Record Branch. That Registrar told him that the said official is writing a thesis on the “immunity” issue and that he (Registrar) believes that the thesis was missing.”
The SC statement said both the statements are false/concocted. “It is contradicted/clarified. The factual position is that the Registrar received a call yesterday (Thursday) at 9:16 pm from Cell No.0345-2044171 from a reporter of Dawn, who wanted his comments about the said burglary incident. Since Registrar had no such information, he told him so; but when the Reporter said that it has happened at the house of an employee of the Supreme Court by the name of Mr Yousaf Jan, the Registrar confirmed, ‘an official by the said name is working as Judicial Assistant in the Record Branch, but added that he is not required to write any such thesis nor assigned any research work’. Later on, after about half an hour or so, Mr. Nasir Iqbal, Dawn Reporter, also called and wanted to get further information as well as the contact number of Mr Yousaf Jan, but Registrar told him, “I do not have his contact number”.
The SC clarification further said: “Today (Friday) at about 11:45am, the Registrar office called the said Reporter, Mr. Munawar Azeem at the Cell No. 0345-2044171 but surprisingly it was received by one Mr Abdul Shakoor, who gave the Cell No 0333-5279547 of Mr Munawar Azeem. When asked as to why he has misquoted the Registrar and ascribed a false/misleading statement to him, Mr Munawar Azeem responded that the above Cell No. (0345-2044171) is not in his possession but some other official of the Dawn newspaper and that he was given the news by Mr Nasir Iqbal.”
“The daily Dawn has ascribed a totally false/misleading account to the Registrar, perhaps to sensationalize a non-issue, which is contrary to established journalistic norms/ethics. Therefore, it is expected that the contradiction be published specially at the same place and page to set the record right,” the statement concluded.