Lahore court issues arrest warrant against Dawn journalist Cyril Almeida, places him on no-fly list

Fixing the next date of hearing on October 8, the bench ordered Almeida’s lawyer to produce him before court then. The bench was headed by Justice Syed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi and comprised Justice Atir Mahmood and Justice Chaudhry Masood Jahangir.

Taking to Twitter Monday, Almeida said, “Spoke to the lawyer, there is a warrant, am back on the ECL and will have to appear before the court on Oct 8… how’s your Monday been?”

Spoke to the lawyer, there is a warrant, am back on the ECL and will have to appear before the court on Oct 8… how’s your Monday been? ??

— cyril almeida (@cyalm) September 24, 2018

The editor of Dawn, meanwhile, said Almeida will “certainly” appear in court on the next date of hearing. In a note, he said, “The notice served on Cyril Almeida was delivered at Dawn’s Islamabad bureau in the middle of last week, and journalists and officials at the bureau say the earlier two notices were never delivered.

“Mr Almeida, like all Dawn staffers, is a law abiding citizen, and sincerely believes in the rule of law. He is a seasoned journalist and has never shied away from such matters,” he added. He appealed to the court to withdraw the warrant of arrest and the directions to put his name on the ECL.

Why has Cyril Almeida been summoned in court?

The case refers to an interview given by former Pakistani prime minister Nawaz Sharif to Almeida in May 2018. In the interview, Sharif allegedly claimed that those involved in the 2008 Mumbai attacks in India were from Pakistan.

The petitioner, Amina Malik, moved court seeking action against Sharif for allegedly defaming state institutions. The petitioner claimed that his “anti-state” statement could be used against Pakistan by its enemies.

The case also implicates former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi. The petitioner claimed Abbasi told Sharif of concerns the military leadership had raised regarding his statement. As these concerns were disclosed in a National Security Council (NSC) meeting, the petitioner said it was “a clear violation of his oath as he was bound not to allow his personal interest to influence his official conduct”.

The NSC, Pakistan’s top civil and military leadership, had called Nawaz’s statement “fallacious”, and said it was “incorrect and misleading”.

Abbasi took over as PM after Nawaz was ousted last year.

Almeida was issued notice by the court to file a response to the treason charge against Nawaz and Abbasi.