Gen Bajwa Data Leak: Journalist Shahid Aslam Sent To Jail on Judicial Remand

According to the latest reports, the local court in the federal capital of Pakistan recently sent journalist Shahid Aslam to jail on judicial remand. He was suspected of leaking tax data of former army chief Gen (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa’s family members. Court orders came when the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) plea was rejected. The point worth mentioning here is that the agency presented Aslam in the court of Judicial Magistrate Umar Shabbir after the completion of his two-day remand which was further granted to the FIA on January 14. Let’s dig into Gen Bajwa Data Leak Case.

Gen Bajwa Data Leak Case

At the hearing today, the court questioned the investigating officer regarding the case. The suspect did not even give the password of his laptop and his answers were quite unsatisfactory. So, the laptop has been sent for forensics to get the password. The IO stated:

“Shahid Aslam was asked to cooperate and give the password, however, he refused,”

The reporter has confessed that he has been stealing data from the Federal Board of Revenue of Pakistan (FBR). It was claimed by the prosecutor. He added:

“The suspect has admitted to visiting the FBR to get the information,”

The prosecutor stated that the FIA needs the custody of the journalist in order to complete the investigation. On the other hand, the counsel requested the court to discharge him from the case by stating:

“Aslam didn’t have his mobile phone. How did the FIA officials access his phone when they didn’t have the password,”

After listening to the arguments from both sides, the court then sent the journalist on judicial remand and rejected the FIA’s plea for an extension in his physical remand.

What’s The Issue????

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar took notice of the unwarranted leakage of tax information from Gen (retd) Bajwa’s family on November 21, 2022. Dar shared a day later that he has received the interim report related to the leak of Gen (retd) Bajwa’s income tax records. He further unveiled that the authorities have traced some people involved in the act. After that, on December 2, 2022, the FBR suspended two officers: Zahoor Ahmed and Atif Nawaz Warraich for four months for their alleged involvement in the data leakage.

The point worth mentioning here is that the Association of Electronic Media Editors and News Directors (AEMEND) condemned the pressure of FIA on journalist Aslam for disclosing his source of news. The media body warned:

“Shahid Aslam was not only arrested without issuing any notice but he is being pressurized to disclose his source of news which is intolerable. Obtaining information is the professional responsibility of the journalist. So, lodging cases for fulfilling the duty are nothing but “suppressing the freedom of expression”

The media body requested the government to take practical steps regarding the fake cases. Let’s see what comes next in the Gen Bajwa Data leak Case. Stay tuned!

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