Alleged intelligence agency official arrested during July 10 LHC hearing on Sanam Javed case

Rating Justification

The iVerify Pakistan team has reviewed this content and determined that it is false.

To reach this conclusion, the iVerify Pakistan team contacted Dawn.com‘s court reporter covering the Lahore High Court (LHC) to find out whether the alleged development occurred or not.

Multiple posts were circulating on social media on July 10, 2024, claiming that during the same day’s LHC hearing of a case of PTI member Sanam Javed, an intelligence agency official was arrested from the courtroom. However, nothing of the sort happened.

Javed is a PTI activist and member who is implicated in multiple cases related to the violence that occurred on May 9, 2023. On July 10, the LHC discharged her in a case registered against her in Gujranwala.

Meanwhile, there is a raging controversy in the country on the alleged interference of the intelligence apparatus into judicial affairs. On June 29, the LHC had directed the prime minister to restrict all intelligence agencies, civil or military, from reaching out to the judges of the superior or subordinate judiciary.

HOW IT STARTED

On July 10, 2024, digital media outlet Siasat.pk shared a post that featured a quote from its anchor Waqar Bagga.

The quote said: “During the hearing of Sanam Javed’s case in the Lahore High Court, a person allegedly from a secret agency, disguised in a lawyer’s attire, was caught recording under the guise of a legal professional. The court ordered his arrest and had his ‘black coat’ (lawyer’s uniform) removed. Is this the end of their thuggery?”

The post gained over 140,000 views.

The same claim was shared by the PTI’s official X account and received over 29,000 views.

The post and claim were subsequently shared by numerous other pro-PTI accounts and supporters with Bagga himself resharing them.

METHODOLOGY

A fact check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its virality and seriously concerning nature since it alleged that an intelligence agency operative was arrested from inside the courtroom while recording proceedings.

Reached out for corroboration on the alleged occurrence, Dawn.com correspondent Rana Bilal, who covers LHC and court reporting in Lahore, confirmed that nothing of the sort happened.

Furthermore, no other mention of the alleged occurrence was found or reported in the national mainstream media in its coverage of the July 10 LHC hearing.

FACT-CHECK STATUS: FALSE

The claim regarding Sanam Javed’s July 10 LHC hearing, that an intelligence official was arrested from the courtroom, is false.

Dawn.com‘s reporter confirmed that nothing as the claim happened in the hearing and neither was the alleged development reported anywhere else in mainstream media.

Evidence and References