PPP urges SC to take notice of party leadership’s media trial

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan People’s Party on Friday demanded of the Supreme Court of Pakistan to take a notice of what it termed as a media trial of the leadership of the PPP in ongoing Joint Investigation Team probe on fake bank accounts and money laundering.

“The The Joint Investigation Team and Federal Investigation Authority, which are responsible for investigating the fake accounts case have been constantly overstepping their boundaries and violating the Supreme Court's order,” said Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, spokesman to PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari while demanding of the Supreme Court to take a notice on the media trial of the PPP leadership,

Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar said the Supreme Court had directed the media not to report about the formation of the JIT. “Disappointingly, the order was overlooked by the media which is another step towards following the trend towards tarnishing PPP's reputation,” he said.

Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar said sources "within JIT" were openly being quoted on various talk shows and media outlets to speculate on the ongoing inquiry. "The ongoing speculation is clearly being done with a mala fide agenda to twist the facts and to malign the PPP leadership and create confusion in the minds of the general public," he said.

The spokesman of the PPP chairman claimed the media trial was being carried out "at the behest of the FIA and JIT", and wondered what options the apex court was left with to correct the damage.

He also questioned the court for "continuously ignoring the media trial". "This raises a lot of questions on the credibility of the investigators, the conduct of the investigation, and seems that the outcome is already predetermined," he said.

Khokhar hoped the Chief Justice would take appropriate action in this regard. Senator Khokhar said that media's attitude along with the conduct of the JIT and FIA is alarming. False news has always been a weapon of anti-democratic forces which makes it easier for them to spread their negative propaganda.