While writing a letter to chief legal officer of social media platform X through foreign ministry on Tuesday Islamabad High Court (IHC) sought microblogging site assitance in identifying people behind leaking Justice Babar Sattar family data.
A larger bench of the IHC issued directives to its registrar to write to X through the foreign ministry requesting it to provide the required information to Pakistan’s investigating agencies in the matter.
local media reported that the letter if the X intended it could send its representative before the IHC, noting that it would be a commendable move.
Through the letter, X was informed that the data of IHC’s Justice Sattar and his family had been leaked using its platform.
The IHC stressed the need for X to provide the links to the government if it was an organised campaign against the judge. The letter also highlighted that X had assisted India and the UK in the past.
Earlier during the hearing of the case, Additional Attorney General (AAG) Munawar Iqbal Duggal apprised the court that Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Cybercrime Wing had indicated involvement of 39 social media accounts in leaking Justice Sattar’s personal data. He added that the agency had identified 10 of them saying a total of six suspects had been issued notices and the agency was conducting a probe.
A larger bench comprising Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri and Justice Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan issued direcitves in the matter while adjudicating a contempt of court case against the elements who ran smear campaign against Justice Sattar.
The AAG told the court that two of these suspects had joined the inquiry whereas one of them was being interrogated saying one of them had sent his reply. He also informed the court that one of the suspects was a journalist, adding that the FIA had been told by X to contact the US embassy.
The AAG further apprised the IHC that the response of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) was ready and would be submitted to the court later in the day.
The court was informed that a three-member FIA team had been formed for investigating the matter and half of the 51,000 accounts that logged in during the past three months had been checked.
On the court’s query about who was heading this body, the AAG submitted it was an FIA additional director.
He informed the court that it could ask X the queries it wanted through the foreign ministry. The court directed the FIA to contact the US embassy and proceed with the investigation by presenting digital evidence.
