On September 13, representatives from key journalist bodies expressed serious concerns about the ongoing trial of senior journalist Shahbaz Rana, which they claim does not meet fair trial requirements. The concerns were raised during an emergency meeting held at the National Press Club by officials from the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) and the Rawalpindi-Islamabad Union of Journalists (RIUJ).

According to a statement, the participants were dismayed by the indictment of Shahbaz Rana by a local court. The journalist was charged despite having based his report on official records. The report in question was alleged by an FBR official to be defamatory and scandalous. The journalist community announced plans to protest against what they perceive as a biased trial.

The PFUJ, RIUJ, and the National Press Club expressed grave concerns over what they described as a “one-sided trial” against Shahbaz Rana, an investigative reporter for The Express Tribune. The emergency meeting, chaired by PFUJ President Afzal Butt, involved a review of Rana’s investigative report, which was purportedly based on official records, documents, and video evidence.

The meeting noted that both civil and criminal proceedings had been initiated against Rana, while other respondents named in the petition, including high-ranking officials such as the Prime Minister of Pakistan, had not been issued notices. The trial court’s actions were condemned as a violation of fair trial principles, and PFUJ President Butt urged the Islamabad High Court to intervene. He highlighted that denying a prominent investigative journalist the right to a fair hearing raises serious questions about the justice system and has caused widespread concern within the journalist community.