Intelligence

Pakistani court rejects ban request on Wikileaks

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Islamabad, Dec 3, IRNA -- A court in Pakistan on Friday rejected an application seeking ban on WikiLeaks website and ruled the people must know the facts.

Wikileaks has released thousands of secret US diplomatic documents, which include many about Pakistan.

In latest released Wikileaks cables mentioned US embassy memo say that Pakistan army had allowed US Special Forces to join Pakistani soldiers in its operation in South Waziristan in 2009.

An application sought court ban on WikiLeaks in Pakistan as it is defaming the rulers and the country.

Judge of the Lahore High Court Justice Azmat Saeed rejected the application and said that the masses should not be kept in dark in the 21st century.

The judge observed that there is no harm to expose those few people at the corridors of power.

“We should have the courage to face the criticism,” the justice remarked. He said Pakistan can not be isolated in the world by imposing ban on a website.

The applicant Arif Gondal argued that the WikiLeaks cables are causing harm to the rulers in the whole world and must be banned.

Justice Azmat Saeed said that WikiLeaks has released documents of about 170 countries and nothing will happen if the people of Pakistan know the facts.

In order to avoid impact on Pakistan and US relations, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton telephoned President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday night and the two leaders talked about bilateral matters with reference to the recent publication of so called memos and official correspondence by the Wikileaks, Presidential spokesman said.

Presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar said that the two leaders agreed that the Wikileak publications were not only unauthorised but also out of context and were based on raw information that did not reflect the correct nature of the purported official correspondence.

They also agreed that the so called leaks will not be allowed to cast a shadow on the strategic partnership between the two countries.

The Spokesperson said that the so-called leak of official memos is already a thing of the past and the President looks forward to the future and the promise it holds.

In the leaked material former US ambassador in Islamabad Anne Patterson also said there was 'no chance' of Pakistan 'abandoning support for [militant] groups'.

The Pakistan government, she added, saw militant groups 'as an important part of its national security apparatus against India'.

Another US diplomatic cable released by Wikileaks website says that its nuclear material may fall into terrorist hands.

The cables warn Pakistan is rapidly building its nuclear stockpile despite the country's growing instability.