Journalist moves court over alleged FIA harassment

A journalist, identified as Taha Shakeel Siddiqui, filed on Monday a petition before the Islamabad High Court over alleged harassment by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

Siddiqui, who is currently working as the Pakistan correspondent for France 24 and as Bureau Chief, Pakistan, for TV channel WION, has filed the petition under Article 199 of the Constitution.

The petition states that Siddiqui received a phone call from a man named Noman Bodla on May 18. Bodla demanded that Taha appears before him at the FIA Headquarters for an interrogation, the details of which were not revealed to him.

Taha told Bodla that his work was available to the public and he is willing to answer all questions over the phone as he was a little reluctant to go to the FIA Headquarters.

Since the phone call, Siddiqui who won the acclaimed Albert Londres journalism prize in 2014, claimed in his petition that he has noticed plain-clothed persons pointing at his house.

“It is inconceivable that the Counter-Terrorism Department of the FIA should be calling up a journalist who has nothing to do with terrorism and is a person of the pen,” the petition stated.

In his petition, Siddiqui has named the Interior Ministry, Director General Federal Investigation Agency, Islamabad, and Noman Bodla Deputy Director Counter Terrorism Department.

The petition would be heard in the court of Justice Aamer Farooq Tuesday morning.