ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani government has formed a six-member Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to probe a recent “malicious” social media campaign against Supreme Court judges and bring those responsible to book, the interior ministry said in a notification on Tuesday.

Pakistan’s top court last week upheld a decision by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to strip former prime minister Imran Khan’s party of its election symbol, a cricket bat. 

The verdict was criticized by legal experts, political analysts, and commentators, while the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) expressed concern over it. Khan supporters also criticized the judgment on social media platforms. 

“The Federal Government has been pleased to constitute a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) in terms of Section 30 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016,” the notification read. 

The team would be headed by the additional director general of the Federal Investigation Agency’s cybercrime wing and would comprise members of the Intelligence Bureau (IB), the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), the deputy inspector general of Islamabad Police and any other co-opted member. 

The ministry said the JIT would “ascertain facts behind malicious social media campaign” attempting to malign the image of Pakistan’s Supreme Court judges.

It said the JIT’s terms of reference would also include identifying and bringing those responsible to book as per relevant laws. 

“The JIT shall submit a preliminary report to the Ministry of Interior within a fortnight,” it said. 

Pakistan’s controversial PECA law has been criticized by media associations and rights groups, who accuse governments of using the law to suppress dissent and clamp down on democratic forces.