ISLAMABAD: In a dramatic development in the narcotics and terrorism case against senior journalist Matiullah Jan, a forensic report submitted to the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday revealed that the substance allegedly recovered from him was not a prohibited drug.
The case — registered at Margalla Police Station on Nov 28, 2024 — had accused the journalist of snatching a government-issued rifle, hitting a vehicle at a police barrier and possessing narcotics.
Initiation of legal proceedings against Jan drew strong criticism from journalist bodies and rights groups, who maintained that he was being targeted for investigating reports of alleged deaths during law enforcement action against PTI protesters in November 2024.
On Thursday, a division bench comprising Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir and Justice Raja Inaam Ameen Minhas heard the matter in a packed IHC courtroom. During the hearing, the Islamabad police placed on record a laboratory report prepared by the Punjab Forensic Science Agency.
According to the forensic analysis, the material allegedly recovered from the journalist did not contain methamphetamine — commonly known as “ice”.
The courtroom was filled with members of the legal fraternity, political workers and journalists expressing solidarity with Jan.
When former senator Farhatullah Babar was spotted in the courtroom, Justice Tahir inquired about his presence. Babar responded that he had come to show support for the senior journalist.
Advocate Rai Hanif Rahi informed the bench that lawyers had appeared in solidarity, while journalist Saqib Bashir submitted that the case had been pursued “as if Matiullah Jan were a drug dealer”.
The advocate further apprised the court that the matter had been fixed before the trial court for framing of charges.
Observing that the forensic findings carried significant legal implications, the bench questioned whether narcotics-related charges could be sustained in the absence of a prohibited substance.
The judges remarked that an appropriate order would be passed and subsequently referred the matter back to the trial court for further proceedings.
A day ago, an Islamabad ATC had rejected Jan’s application challenging the jurisdiction of the court and fixed February 19 (today) as the date for framing of charges.
‘Allegations proven false’
In a post on X after the hearing, Jan said the allegations against him of “smuggling narcotics have been proven false”.
He highlighted that the PFSA report presented before the court “revealed that the substance allegedly recovered from me was not narcotics or ice”.
According to the journalist, the IHC bench asked the prosecution counsel how charges could be framed against Jan in light of the lab report. The court then referred the case to the trial court and directed the state to submit a supplementary charge-sheet, he added.
“On this occasion, in my legal team, I am first grateful to Advocate Imaan Mazari and Advocate Hadi for giving me their full support, who stood by me fully from my arrest until the case was made,” Jan said.
“May Allah Almighty grant them release,” he added, referring to the lawyer couple who were convicted in January over controversial social media posts, with their sentencing sparking outrage among rights bodies.
“After that, my current legal team — Advocate Ali Ashfaq, Barrister Abdul Qadeer, Barrister Ahad, Advocate Fayyaz, and my younger brother Advocate Shahid Akbar Abbasi — gave me their full support from the trial to the high court and are still standing with me,” Jan said.
He stated that Barrister Qadeer was representing him in the IHC.
