April 2, 2026
By Hafizullah Storai Sherani
ISLAMABAD
The Supreme Court of Pakistan has issued a pivotal order in the terrorism and narcotics case against senior journalist Matiullah Jan, restraining the trial court from indicting him until the Islamabad High Court reaches a decision.
On the other hand, the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) of Islamabad has expressed severe indignation over the mysterious disappearance of the original drug forensic report in the case and issued a warning of arrest warrants for the SSP Investigation.
During the judicial proceedings held in the federal capital, a three-member bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and comprising Justice Musarrat Hilali and Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan, heard Matiullah Jan’s petition.
Matiullah Jan’s counsel, Barrister Abdul Qadir Janjua, informed the court that they had filed an appeal in the IHC for the quashing of the terrorism Sections (7-ATA); therefore, until the high court decides on the legal status of these sections, framing charges in the trial court would be premature.
The apex court agreed with this stance and directed the High Court to schedule the case promptly for a decision, and until then, the trial court should not frame charges.
Regarding the court proceedings, Matiullah Jan spoke to Voicepk.
“So far I am satisfied with the court proceedings, and the remarks of the judges are also encouraging,”
Meanwhile, in the Special Anti-Terrorism Court, Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra heard the case, where the police admitted that the original forensic report of the drugs allegedly recovered from Matiullah Jan’s vehicle has gone missing from the record. Defence counsel Barrister Ahad Khokhar told the court that the police deliberately made the report disappear after the results came back “negative” in order to prolong the case.
Judge Tahir Abbas expressed severe anger at this negligence by the police and questioned why an inquiry report on this serious matter has not been presented yet.
The court summoned the SSP Investigation in person on April 16, 2026, remarking that if the report or the relevant officer does not appear at the next hearing, arrest warrants will be issued.
Journalist Waheed Murad spoke to Voicepk about the case.
“In my opinion, this is the correct legal procedure, and it should have been decided in a timely manner by the judge of the Anti-Terrorism Court and subsequently by the High Court.
The Supreme Court was approached in this matter because the Islamabad High Court did not decide on the petition and kept it pending, while the trial court was moving forward with the proceedings. It is the right of any accused or affected party that their petition be heard and decided in a timely manner according to legal procedures.”
Immediately after the judicial decision, senior journalist Matiullah Jan stated in a post on his social media account ‘X’ (formerly Twitter): “Alhamdulillah! The Supreme Court has today stayed the ongoing trial in the terrorism case against me.” This post was widely shared in journalistic circles, where other journalists termed the police’s conduct a major question mark on the prosecution’s credibility.
Matiullah Jan was arrested in November 2024 within the limits of the Margalla Police Station, where serious allegations such as possession of narcotics and attempting to run over police personnel with a vehicle were levelled against him allegations which Matiullah Jan has rejected, terming them as victimisation.
The next hearing of the case will be on April 16, 2026.