LAHORE (Muhammad Ashfaq) - A local court in Lahore on Wednesday heard a case concerning the alleged circulation of a fake video of Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari, who appeared before the court and recorded her statement as the complainant.
Judicial Magistrate Naeem Wattoo presided over the hearing.
“This is a matter concerning the honour of a woman. This was not an ordinary civil case,” Azma said, adding that she had suffered immense distress after a fake video was created and circulated in her name.
Bukhari also complained about a YouTuber who had claimed on social media that arrest warrants had been issued against her.
She asked the court to establish when the warrants were issued, noting that the YouTuber was present in the courtroom. The YouTuber subsequently apologised to her.
The minister said she had requested permission to record her statement through video link due to security concerns.
“If proceedings are to be conducted this way, then the courts should be closed,” she remarked.
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Magistrate Wattoo said the court respected women and that its judgments demonstrated how such cases were handled.
He rejected claims that the case had been delayed by the court, saying Bukhari’s associates had repeatedly appeared and sought dates.
On the court’s directions, accused Falak Javed was brought before the court, after which Bukhari recorded her statement.
She said that on the night between July 24 and 25, 2025, she was browsing social media when she saw videos circulating under her name with captions suggesting that one of her videos had been leaked.
Bukhari alleged that Javed had posted the video on X, after which it spread widely across social media.
During the proceedings, a heated exchange took place between Bukhari and Javed after an objection by the accused’s lawyer.
Bukhari called Javed a liar and told her to “have some shame”. Javed replied that there was no evidence against her and that she had been in jail for a year.
Magistrate Wattoo intervened, warning that only he had the authority to speak loudly in his courtroom, and directed both women to remain silent.
Javed’s counsel, Ali Ashfaq, said he needed at least six hours to cross-examine Bukhari.
Bukhari’s lawyer denied delaying tactics, saying they had sought video-link proceedings from the outset.
The court fixed September 12 for cross-examination and adjourned the hearing.