News Analysis |
Months after concerns regarding the presence of global pornographic operatives in Pakistan were raised, the country has sentenced a man from Sargodha to seven years in prison besides imposing a fine of Rs1.2 million after finding him guilty of child pornography. This is the first conviction in the much talked about pornography debate inside Pakistan which also died down.
Saadat Amin was arrested in Sargodha by the Federal Investigation Agency officials in January last year. The FIA officials also found more than 650,000 child pornography videos in his possession. His bail plea was rejected by Justice Abdul Haq, Additional Sessions judge in Lahore, in September last year.
The arrest of Saadat Amin was dramatic as the Norwegian embassy in Pakistan had first contacted FIA, reporting the suspicious role of Amin. FIA was informed that Norwegian national James Lindstrom had links with Amin who filmed inappropriate videos of children and then forwarded it to Lindstorm following which he received payments through Western Union and Money Gram.
Although the Federal Investigation Agency has ramped up its efforts against the pornographic rings, even then, the complex nature and severity of the issue needs collaboration with international players who have been tackling the issue for decades.
The convicted pervert admitted that he used to get money between $100 and $400 for each video involving young boys adding that besides his own videos, he used to hack videos from Russian and Bangladeshi porn websites to provide it to clients in Norway and Sweden.
Amin, who is a graduate from University of Engineering and Technology (UET), Taxila Campus used to deceive parents of the victims by stating that he would be teaching their children computer skills, however, ended up making their films. The parents were lured into the exciting offer as they were paid.
Amin was linked to a pedophile network which was unearthed as part of a larger ‘Dark Room operation’ launched in Norway, Sweden, Denmark and other countries in November 2016.
Read more: Pedophile gang arrested in Jaranwala, Punjab
Though Amin appeared the sole accused in case of Pakistan, Norway captured more individuals involved in the crime, with a staggering 150 terabytes of data material. The suspects in Norway included lawyers, kindergarten teacher, engineer and people from different walks of life.
Norwegian authorities sprung into action after a 22-year old boy had a sexual interaction with the 14-year-old girl, with more cases being reported in coming years and suspects maintaining communication with each other. The principal accused who exposed links with the Pakistani man, James Lindstorm is also facing investigations.
The FIA officials also found more than 650,000 child pornography videos in his possession. His bail plea was rejected by Justice Abdul Haq, Additional Sessions judge in Lahore, in September last year.
In case of Pakistan, the case was of prominence because, in August 2015, the country was shaken by the biggest pornography scandal stemming out of Kasur in Punjab. According to the spine-chilling details, 280 boys under the age of 14 were raped and filmed.
In February this year, an anti-terrorism court acquitted 12 accused in the case, though 16 witnesses were produced. The judge Chaudhry Ilyas decided in favor of the accused for lack of evidence.
No significant progress was made in the case, despite legal proceedings, however, the incident led to tougher restrictions and harsh legal implications for the accused. In 2016, Pakistan criminalized child pornography, making the offence punishable with seven years in prison and a fine of Rs0.7 million.
Read more: How porn addiction is destroying the youth
Even with the dawn of 2018, concerns regarding the presence of pornographic rings inside the country were raised when Zainab, an 8-year-old girl from Kasur, was raped before being murdered.
Though the incident was considered a lone assault with no links to global rackets, Dr Shahid Masood, renowned anchor, diverted the attention of the apex court towards the pornographic rings and dark web, the platform through which the videos are shared over the internet.
Amin was linked to a pedophile network which was unearthed as part of a larger ‘Dark Room operation’ launched in Norway, Sweden, Denmark and other countries in November 2016.
After successive hearings, the Supreme Court found no evidence regarding the links of the accused Imran Ali with any pornographic ring, however, Dr Shahid Masood, claims to this day, that pornographic videos were being filmed inside Pakistan and sold internationally to mint money.
The case of Saadat Amin has also endorsed the presence of elements involved in the heinous crime and a need for strict cyber regulations, in a country with a much-reduced literacy rate.
Read more: India bans movie “lipstick under my burkha”
Although the Federal Investigation Agency has ramped up its efforts against the pornographic rings, even then, the complex nature and severity of the issue needs collaboration with international players who have been tackling the issue for decades.
A few days back, the officials of FIA informed a National Assembly committee that it was difficult to track blasphemous material, signaling the inefficiency of the agency, however, the successful investigations and conviction of Saadat Amin endorses that with little effort, the cyberspace in Pakistan can be wiped off morally corrupt individuals.