FIA secures 3-day physical remand of judge video scandal accused Mian Tariq

Published July 19, 2019
Mian Tariq Mahmood was arrested by the FIA on Wednesday. — DawnNewsTV/File
Mian Tariq Mahmood was arrested by the FIA on Wednesday. — DawnNewsTV/File

A civil judge in Islamabad on Friday granted three-day physical remand of Mian Tariq Mahmood — a central suspect in a case pertaining to a controversial video of accountability judge Arshad Malik — to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

Mahmood was arrested from the capital by the FIA on Wednesday and had been in custody since a civil judge approved his two-day physical remand, which expired today.

The FIA, during today's hearing, told the judge that the investigators had recovered a 4GB device from Mahmood and also submitted its forensic report. Mahmood, at this point, told the court that the device had not been recovered by the FIA but was voluntarily submitted by him.

FIA prosecutor also said that Mahmood had also pointed towards some other people who were allegedly involved in the scandal. The FIA counsel said that the investigation agency required an extension in Mahmood's physical remand for further investigation.

Mahmood's legal representative opposed the FIA's demand for an extension and said that the investigation had been completed. He said that the FIA was still conducting raids at Mahmood's residence in Multan.

The judge told FIA to refrain from inflicting torture on the suspect and granted the agency's request.

Mahmood has been accused by Malik of showing him a "secretly recorded manipulated immoral video [showing him] in a compromising position" which was later used by Nawaz Sharif's long-time supporter Nasir Butt to blackmail the judge into saying that he had been "pressured" to issue the Al Azizia verdict against the former premier.

The matter of the video surfaced earlier this month after PML-N vice-president Maryam Nawaz released a secretly filmed clip that showed judge Malik telling a man — identified by her as Butt — that he had been "blackmailed" and "pressured" to issue a verdict against Nawaz that landed the former prime minister in jail.

In a rebuttal, Malik said that Butt had forced him to make the afore-mentioned claims by using the Multan video as a threat.

A case pertaining to the video will also be heard in the Supreme Court by a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosa on July 23. The top court has issued notices to the attorney general as well as petitioners.

Additional reporting by Haseeb Bhatti.

Opinion

Editorial

Military option
Updated 21 Nov, 2024

Military option

While restoring peace is essential, addressing Balochistan’s socioeconomic deprivation is equally important.
HIV/AIDS disaster
21 Nov, 2024

HIV/AIDS disaster

A TORTUROUS sense of déjà vu is attached to the latest health fiasco at Multan’s Nishtar Hospital. The largest...
Dubious pardon
21 Nov, 2024

Dubious pardon

IT is disturbing how a crime as grave as custodial death has culminated in an out-of-court ‘settlement’. The...
Islamabad protest
Updated 20 Nov, 2024

Islamabad protest

As Nov 24 draws nearer, both the PTI and the Islamabad administration must remain wary and keep within the limits of reason and the law.
PIA uncertainty
20 Nov, 2024

PIA uncertainty

THE failed attempt to privatise the national flag carrier late last month has led to a fierce debate around the...
T20 disappointment
20 Nov, 2024

T20 disappointment

AFTER experiencing the historic high of the One-day International series triumph against Australia, Pakistan came...