Khayam Abbasi

ISLAMABAD: The caretaker government on Tuesday constituted a six-member joint investigation team (JIT) to “ascertain facts behind malicious social media campaign” against Supreme Court judges.

According to a notification issued by the interior ministry, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, the committee was formed under Section 30 (power to investigate) of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016.

The JIT would be convened by the additional director general of the Federal Investigation Agency’s Cyber Crime Wing. It also comprises representatives of the Intelligence Bureau, Inter-Services Intelligence, the deputy inspector general of Islamabad police, representative of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority and any other co-opted member.

The notification highlighted that the terms of reference of the JIT would be to “ascertain facts behind malicious social media campaign attempting to malign the image of the honourable judges of the Supreme Court”.

The committee would also be responsible for identifying and bringing culprits to book in accordance with relevant laws, presenting challans in relevant courts and recommending measures to prevent such incidents in future.

“The JIT shall submit a preliminary report to the Ministry of Interior within a fortnight,” the notification said, adding that the FIA headquarters would provide support to the panel during the investigation.

The authorities did not identify any social media posts they deem to be part of the campaign.

After marathon hearings last week, a three-member bench of the apex court — headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa — had upheld the Election Commission of Pakistan’s decision to revoke the PTI’s iconic electoral symbol ‘bat’ and declare its intra-party polls as “unconstitutional”.

The verdict was criticised by legal eagles and political experts. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan had also expressed concern over the judgment.