On February 18, a special Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Islamabad dismissed an application filed by senior journalist Matiullah Jan challenging the court’s jurisdiction and the framing of charges in terrorism and narcotics cases against him. The court directed that charges be formally framed and fixed February 19 for the indictment proceedings.
Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra heard detailed arguments from both the prosecution and the defence on the application, in which Jan’s counsel contended that the Anti-Terrorism Court did not have the authority to try the case and requested that the matter be transferred to a relevant court. The judge had reserved the verdict after hearing submissions from both sides.
Announcing the reserved order, the court rejected the plea regarding jurisdiction and directed that proceedings for indictment be initiated. The judge stated that charges would be formally framed against the accused on the following day, and subsequently adjourned further proceedings until February 19.
Jan had challenged the framing of charges in the narcotics case, arguing that there was no video evidence of the alleged recovery of drugs. A related petition is pending before the Islamabad High Court. In previous hearings, the high court granted the prosecution additional time to submit forensic reports; however, the police have yet to produce those reports.
Following the hearing, Jan posted on the social media platform X that the government was pursuing what he described as a fabricated case against him. He stated that he had been taken from the premises of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences on November 27 along with journalist Saqib Basheer while reporting on casualties from firing at a PTI protest, and that a false First Information Report (FIR) was subsequently registered.
According to the FIR lodged by Superintendent of Police Asif Ali at Margalla Police Station, the case stems from an incident at the E-9 checkpost in Islamabad. The FIR states that Jan was intercepted while driving a white Toyota Yaris towards F-10 and allegedly rammed the vehicle into police personnel, injuring Constable Mudassir. It further alleges that when the vehicle was stopped by a barrier, Jan exited the car, assaulted the constable and briefly seized his submachine gun, which was later recovered by police.
The FIR also claims that Jan appeared to be under the influence of narcotics. A search of the vehicle allegedly led to the recovery of 246 grams of methamphetamine from beneath the driver’s seat. A one-gram sample was collected for chemical analysis, and the vehicle was impounded.
The case invokes Section 9(2)4 of the Control of Narcotic Substances Act 1997, relating to possession of psychotropic substances between 100 and 500 grams, and Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997. It also includes Sections 186, 279, 353, 382, 411, 427 and 506(ii) of the Pakistan Penal Code, covering offences including obstruction of public servants, rash driving, assault, theft, mischief and criminal intimidation.
The FIR was registered at 3:20 am, nearly an hour after the alleged incident. Jan’s family has previously stated that he was taken from the parking area of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences the night before, questioning the circumstances surrounding the registration of the case.
