Minister of State for Information Technology and Telecommunication (IT&T) Anusha Rehman on Wednesday allegedly snatched the cell phone of a journalist in the Supreme Court premises, resulting in anger among the journalists who then did not let the PML-N leaders to speak outside the Supreme Court.
The journalist in question was reportedly filming Ms. Anusha Rehman while she was discussing something with Mr. Saad Rafqiue, the Minister for Railways.
A dramatic scene was witnessed as journalists protested against Anusha Rehman for snatching phone of a journalist and then threatening him with 14 year jail imprisonment under the Cyber Crime Law that she herself legislated just few months ago.
“You can be sent behind bars for 14 years for this violation as per the Cyber Crime Law”, Anusha was quoted as saying to journalist.
Anusha Rehman said that journalist was violating her privacy and that is why she snatched the phone and deleted the video in question.
Journalists, when Anusha and other PML(N) leaders came for media talk, chanted slogans against the minister and demanded her to tender apology.
The protesting journalists refused to let Minister for Railways Khawaja Saad Rafique address the media, shouting him down despite his repeated attempts to speak.
Amid journalists’ sloganeering, Saad Rafique said that Anusha Rehman was briefing him about the court’s proceedings when this journalist started making video upon which she snatched the mobile phone of the reporter and informed him that bringing cell phone inside Supreme Court (SC) is banned. “I intervened and asked the reporter and minister to go to a side and delete the video.”
The railways minister said freedom of expression should be respected, but he said that the incident was inappropriate.
Minister for CADD, Tariq Fazal Chaudhry was also present on this occasion.
The journalists also got their protest registered when State Minister for information Maryam Aurangzeb reached the spot and tried to speak. She urged the journalists to end their protest suggesting that the matter could be solved through table talk.
