SIALKOT/LAHORE: Spe­­cial Assistant to the Prime Minister on Infor­mation and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan has said the government has decided to conduct a detailed inquiry into the purported video of an accountability court judge and expose those behind the scandal.

Read: Accountability judge 'blackmailed' into issuing verdict against Nawaz: Maryam

Judge Arshad Malik’s purported video, which was made public by leader of the main opposition Pakis­tan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Maryam Nawaz on Saturday, had been recorded in a media house, Dr Awan told a press conference here on Sunday.

She said Judge Malik’s statement had established that the PML-N’s accusations were a “pack of lies”.

Dr Awan said the PML-N was misleading the nation and its motive behind the video scandal was political point-scoring.

Govt decides to hold investigation

“Stop misleading the nation by bringing such baseless scandals and do not weaken the national institutions. This is a new Pakistan and now the PTI government is strengthening the national institutions for national development and prosperity through ensuring the rule of law,” she added.

Claiming the video was fabricated, Dr Awan said it was not a matter of one judge but a conspiracy against the country’s judicial system. She said the PML-N had a history of targeting and maligning the judiciary.

This video was part of their conspiracy to misguide the masses and instigate them against the judiciary, she added.

She said the government would conduct a forensic audit of the video and audio. She said recording of such a video was in violation of the code of conduct of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra).

The special assistant said the “PML-N gang of corrupt” led by Maryam Nawaz was making a hue and cry to cover up her family’s massive corruption and plundering of the national wealth while they were in power, adds APP.

She said the ‘gang of corrupt politicians’ should better give up their old tactics and negative politics. They should also refrain from misleading the people by such dramas, she added.

Dr Awan said the audio and video had been made by a media house under the supervision of Nasir Butt, who had many criminal cases of different nature pending against him.

She said different legal options were available to proceed in the matter. The government had all the rights to take legal action against all the characters behind the video scandal under Pemra ordinance, while courts could also take any action against the suspects.

She claimed that the government was successfully foiling conspiracies being hatched by the PML-N for weakening the national institutions. All of them would have to face the law as no one was above the law, she added.

Dr Awan said the PML-N was trying to create chaos in the country for political gains as it was fast moving towards its political demise. The hue and cry being made was aimed at diverting the people’s attention from their corruption, she said, adding that the PML-N was responsible for the current price hike as its ­leadership had committed massive corruption.

Earlier talking to the media in Lahore, Punjab chief minister’s spokesperson Dr Shehbaz Gill said curtain dropped on the PML-N leader’s presser within 24 hours as the judge denied the video and the claims made by Maryam Nawaz.

He lamented that the PML-N leaders did not restrain themselves from employing old tactics [of scandalizing rivals and judiciary]. He said he was of the considered opinion that Maryam’s wisdom would bury her party’s politics. Responding to a question about the meeting of the judge with PML-N sympathisers, Dr Gill said the government had no ­concern with whom the judge met or didn’t meet as he himself [the judge] was answerable on the issue.

Published in Dawn, July 8th, 2019