Journalist Wajahat S. Khan vows to contest 'absurd' treason charges

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 13 June 2023

Journalist Wajahat S. Khan has condemned treason charges against him as baseless and plans to fight them legally. He believes these accusations are aimed at suppressing freedom of expression in Pakistan.

Summary

ISLAMABAD—Wajahat S. Khan has termed the treason case against him as "shocking, baseless and absurd" and vowed to contest it in court.

In a rather long tweet, he said: "These fallacious charges are part of a larger pattern to stifle the freedom of expression, the freedom of the press, and the freedom of movement in Pakistan."

The charges that have been filed include several sections of the Pakistan Penal Code, including Section 121 (framed against "Waging or attempting to wage war or abetting waging of war against Pakistan") and Section 131 (framed against "Abetting mutiny, or attempting to seduce a soldier, sailor or airman from his duty") and even the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), specifically reserved for hardened terrorists.

Wajahat said he would fight these charges through due process, ably managed by Pakistan's courageous judiciary. "My fight will be easy, as these charges are weak, concocted and misleading.

"I will not stop, as these charges are meant to intimidate me into stopping my reporting about the plight of millions of Pakistanis."

He added that the charges had been filed by an individual unknown to him. "This individual claims that he saw a mob using a replica of my social media content to trigger violence, terrorism, and mutiny against the government and the armed forces of Pakistan on the 9th of May, 2023, a tragic day in the recent history of my country (it must be noted that this individual filed the charges more than one month after the unfortunate events of 9th May)."

KEY POINTS:

• Wajahat S. Khan rejects treason charges as shocking and absurd.
• Charges filed include sections of the Pakistan Penal Code and the Anti-Terrorism Act.
• Khan asserts the charges are an attempt to intimidate him.
• The accusations are linked to a mob incident on May 9, 2023.
• Khan emphasizes the importance of press freedom in Pakistan.