Pervez Rashid, who is senator and close aide of former PM Nawaz Sharif, says that FIA has asked him as who were present there when PML-N Vice-President Maryam Nawaz held a press conference and claimed that a video was secretly recorded about former accountability court judge Arshad Malik in which he said that he convicted Nawaz Sharif in Al-Azizia reference after being under pressure.
LAHORE: (Urdu Point/Pakistan Point News-Dec 30th, 2019) Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Pervaiz Rashid recorded his statement before Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in connection with video scandal of former Accountability Court Judge Arshad Malik in which he said that he convicted Nawaz Sharif in Al-Aziziz Mills reference for being under pressure.
Strict security arrangements had been made occasion of Pervez Rashid’s appearance before FIA in Lahore office.
After recording his statement, Pervez Rashid said that the present government was putting political opponents in jails and FIA was being used as a tool. He questioned the jurisdiction of FIA, saying that the work was being taken from the FIA which did not come under its jurisdiction. He stated that Imran Khan used to claim that he would never give NRO to anyone was now giving it to his friends through amendments in NAB law.
Talking about his appearance before the FIA, he said that he was asked by the officials to explain that who were present there during the press conference wherein Maryam Nawaz said that he had videos in which Judge Arshad Malik had confessed that he was pressurized to give verdict against Nawaz in Al-Azizia reference.
“I was called by the FIA to explain as who were present there during press conference,” said Arshad Malik.
Before Rashid, PML-N Deputy Secretary General Ata Tarar appeared before the FIA for the same investigation. Later, Tarar said that any evidence that could be helpful in establishing Nawaz Sharif innocent would be brought forth.
Last week, the FIA conducted raid at Model Town Secretariat – the central office of the PML-N in Lahore, and seized key records in connection with the judge video scandal.
The team had recorded statements of people who were present in the office, while some important videos were also seized. According to sources, the FIA team was fearful that some of the concerning record might have been hidden after summon of Tarar and Rashid.
In the raid, FIA had taken into custody hardware of a computer from the Central Office of PML-N in Model Town. “A FIA team raided at the central office of PML-N and took hardware of a computer from the office,” Mr Tarar had said. “The FIA team was holding warrant for raid at the party’s central office,” he had added, while pointing out that they had all the data in the IT room.
On Dec10, this year, Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP) had wrapped up a review petition filed by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif seeking reconsideration of the Aug 23 order which had held that the video clip concerning former accountability court judge Arshad Malik would only benefit the petitioner if its genuineness was established.
On July 6, PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz had held a press conference at the Model Town secretariat and played a ‘secretly recorded’ video of judge Arshad Malik.
It is pertinent to mention here that judge Arshad Malik had rejected all the allegations leveled by Maryam Nawaz regarding victimizing ex-prime minister Nawaz Sharif in fake corruption cases.
The judge had released a statement and termed the leaked video played by PML-N leaders during their press conference fake, fabricated and out of context.
He had said that he was not pressurised by anyone to deliver verdict against Nawaz Sharif in Al-Azizia reference and that the decision was announced while fulfilling all the requirements of justice. “I should have not acquitted Nawaz Sharif in one case and sentenced him in another case if I was under pressure,” he had asserted.
In Dec. 2018, an accountability court had sentenced former prime minister Nawaz Sharif to seven-year rigorous imprisonment after it found him guilty in Al-Azizia reference, one of the three graft cases filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in line with the apex court order.
The Supreme Court on July 28, 2017, had disqualified Nawaz in Panama papers case and ordered NAB to file separate cases which were respectively called Avenfiled, Al-Azizia and Flagship references.
Judge Muhammad Arshad Malik had acquitted Sharif in Flagship reference while the former premier and his family members were already convicted in Avenfield case.
