Arshad Malik video scandal: Case lodged against Maryam Nawaz, Shehbaz Sharif, Shahid Khaqan
Mian Tariq Mahmood was shifted to FIA custody after his two-day remand was approved.
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has lodged a case, on an application filed by former accountability court judge Arshad Malik, against Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president Shehbaz Sharif, vice-president Maryam Nawaz and former premier Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and other persons accused of allegedly blackmailing him over video(s) captured secretly during his meetings with PML-N leaders.
The FIA’s Cyber Crime Wing has decided to interrogate Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Mian Raza for investigation into the video scandal surrounding former accountability judge Arshad Malik who had claimed that Mian Tariq Mahmood had bought the leaked video from Mian Raza.
Meanwhile, teams have been constituted to arrest other accused persons, including Nasir Janjua, Nasir Butt, Khurram Yousaf and Meher Jillani, nominated in the case lodged under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016 (PECA).
Sources familiar with the matter told the media that eight provisions of the Cyber Crime Act have been included in the case lodged against the suspects.
Yesterday, the FIA‘s Cyber Crime Wing arrested Mian Tariq Mahmood, a man allegedly involved in the video scandal of the judge, and took his physical remand from a civil judge in Islamabad for two days.
Tariq, an alleged prime suspect who had fraudulently captured video(s) of the former judge and has been accused of blackmailing ‘influential personalities, was shifted to FIA custody after the remand was approved.
The FIA on Friday will present Tariq again before a civil judge for extension in his physical remand.
The FIA has lodged a case on an application filed by the former judge, who in his application stated that the blackmailers had wanted him to say that he had announced the verdict [against Sharif] following orders of a “particular group.”
The judge maintained that he was performing his duties as the additional and sessions judge in Multan from the years 2000 to 2003, and during that time his ‘immoral’ videos were recorded by Mian Tariq.
He stated that he had been blackmailed with the videos which were sold to PML-N’s Mian Raza. He accused Nasir Janjua, Nasir Butt, Khuram Yousaf and Mehr Ghulam Jilani of blackmailing him.
“The purpose of these videos was to demoralise my personal character and my institution,” he said, adding that the videos were recorded in an illegal manner with the purpose of blackmailing him.
Arshad Malik further mentioned that he had met Nawaz Sharif in Jati Umra and Hussain Nawaz in Madina as a result of blackmailing and more videos were recorded during those meetings.
He stated that it was shocking for him that during the press conference on July 6, the PML-N leaders made defamatory statements against him, the judiciary and the process of accountability in the country.
