Detailed verdict on WikiLeaks case issued

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) in its detailed verdict regarding ban on WikiLeaks said that the revelations made no damage to the nation and only a few individuals were facing embarrassment, Geo News reported Friday.

The LHC while dismissing the petition observed that the disclosures by the website have not been denied and according to law access to information has constitutional cover.

The court on December 03 had dismissed a writ petition for ban on access to WikiLeaks in Pakistan, observing that exposure of a few people would benefit the entire nation.

Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed had declared the petition non-maintainable, being against the fundamental right of people to access information. Justice Sheikh passed this order after hearing arguments of petitioner Arif Gondal, Advocate.

The petitioner pleaded that leakage of sensitive secret cables about Pakistan, Muslim and Western countries of the world through WikiLeaks site, a non-profitable media organisation, was a conspiracy to create conflicts among Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and other Muslim and Western countries of the world.

The petitioner said that disclosures of the secret information by WikiLeaks site was aimed at destroying peace in Pakistan and defaming important personalities and national institutions, including Pakistan Army.

However, Justice Saeed rejected the petition by observing that the secret cables/ documents being leaked by WikiLeaks site were being accessed in over 170 countries of the world and it should not be blocked in Pakistan either.

The judge said the information, coming from the world fame site taking the veil off from some well-known faces in Pakistan, would be good for growth of the whole nation. "We, as a nation, should have the courage to tolerate and digest criticism and live with it," the judge said.