Agencies

Lahore, Dec 20: Private Geo TV News channel has been taken to court for its investigative report that exposed the Pakistani origin of the lone terrorist captured in the Mumbai attacks to the embarassment of the country's leadership and a petition seeking registration of a case was admitted.

The sensational report that grabbed headlines said the surviving gunman Ajmal Amir Iman Kasab is a resident of Faridkot village in Punjab province in the country lending weight to India's assertion that the Mumbai siege had Pakistani links.

Setting aside an objection raised by the court registrar's office, Lahore High Court's acting Chief Justice Mian Najamuzzaman on Thursday admitted the petition seeking registration of a case against the employees and owners of the channel.

The petition was filed by ruling Pakistan People's Party leader Sardar Hur Bukhari in his personal capacity. On Tuesday, the registrar's office had objected to the petition, on the grounds it fell under the jurisdiction of subordinate courts, and advised Bukhari to seek that remedy first.

Bukhari said he had filed an application with the police for registering a case against Geo News's Lahore bureau chief, reporters and cameraman as well as owners of the channel for beaming the report which had "damaged Pakistan's image" across the world. But police had refused to register a case, he added.

He then decided to approach the court to direct the police to register an FIR.

Geo News recently aired what it said was secretly filmed footage of residents of Faridkot acknowledging that Ajmal, alias Kasab, was a resident of the village. One resident said Ajmal had last visited Faridkot about six months ago, when he told his mother he was going away for 'jehad'.