Class VI student moves IHC against theft of speech script

 Speech was delivered by a girl at Aiwan-e-Sadr

ISLAMABAD: A bench of Islamabad High Court (IHC) here on Friday reserved its order regarding maintainability in a an interesting matter where a class 6 student alleged that the officials of President’s Secretariat stole his script of speech and made it delivered by a girl that he was supposed to read on December 22 at a function at the President House to mark the Quaid-i-Azam’s date of birth.

Muhammad Sabeel Haider through his father Naseem Abbas Nasir has nominated Secretary to President of Pakistan, Additional Secretary at the President Secretariat, Director Colleges of the Directorate of Education, Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra), Managing Director of the Pakistan Television and Ayesha Ishtiaq through Principal Islamabad College for Girls, F-6/2, as respondents.

The petitioner adopted before the court that he is an orator and on March 23 this year he also participated in a programme at the Presidency after which he was given a letter of appreciation for participating in the programme.

Presently, a ceremony with regard to the 141th birthday of Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah was scheduled with the titled “Quaid-e-Azam aur Bachay. The petitioner was also invited to participate in the said programme which had to be recorded on December 22.

Despite an exam schedule, the petitioner agreed to participate sheer out of passion. For rehearsal, he participated on daily basis from Dec 14 onwards and for the purpose; he also sacrificed two of exams.

The petitioner told the court that he had prepared script of the speech with the help of his father and forwarded for approval to the officials of the Presidency. The script was returned to the petitioner by the respondents with acknowledgment, appreciation and vetting the speech.

The petitioner also got new clothes for wearing at the ceremony. On December 22, the petitioner with all preparation including dress code having legitimate expectancy of presenting speech in the ceremony reached at Aiwan-e-Saddar at 8:00am.

Shockingly, Sabeel Haider was informed that the speech was going to be delivered by a girl and more astonishingly it was the original script of speech of the petitioner. The petitioner was highly discouraged, suppressed, abused and insulted by the respondents because the original script of speech was delivered by someone else and that too without permission, consent and will of the petitioner.

The boy told the court that recording of the said ceremony will be telecasted through electronic media on December 25 at Quaid-i-Azam Day. The petitioner has prayed to the court that the respondents be restrained from airing his speech delivered by the private respondent through electronic or social media.