Pakistani police on Saturday acquitted a local journalist of defaming the army after a court reprimanded the police for exceeding their mandate, said Bilal Farooqi, the journalist's lawyer.
Farooqi, a controversial critic of both
the military and the government, was arrested’ on Friday on charges of defaming
the country and the military and spreading religious hatred.
The latest crackdown on journalists
critical of the government is Farooq i’s arrest and subsequent release. Just
days after Prime Minister Imran Khan reiterated this, Pakistan has an
independent media.
Farooqi's lawyer Ghulam Shabbir told
Reuters: "The court asked the police if the FIR (first information report)
does not stand, who gave you the authority to pick up people from their
homes."
Shabbir said he expects a police report to
be submitted’ within a week and the matter resolved.
"The allegations against me are so
absurd that I am spreading religious hatred and defaming institutions. These
are all false allegations," Farooqi told Reuters before his court
appearance.
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