News Desk |
Alleged leaked video of Arshad Malik, judge accountability court, has significantly impacted the political discourse in Pakistan. The judge has denied the PML-N’s version and made it clear that the video is fake and fallacious. Pakistani media and public intellectuals are debating regarding the content of the video and speculating about its possible political and legal implications.
PML-N had released a video clip, purportedly, showing an accountability court judge admitting to the lack of evidence against former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills reference.
Pakistani media and public intellectuals are debating regarding the content of the video and speculating about its possible political and legal implications.
Following the denial of the judge, Maryam Nawaz, daughter of convicted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and newly appointed vice president of the party, stated that she understood the constraints due to which the judge took that particular decision.
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جبر و بلیک میلنگ کا شکار ہو کر اپنے ضمیر کے خلاف فیصلہ دینے والے جج صاحب! میں سمجھ سکتی ہوں کہ آج بھی فیصلے کی طرح تیار شدہ پریس ریلیز پر آپ نے مجبوری میں دستخط کیے ہوں گے، تھینک یو ویری مچ، آپ نے ویڈیو کا انکار نا کر کہ تصدیق کر دی۔ باقی شام کو منڈی بہاالدین ۔۔۔۔
— Maryam Nawaz Sharif (@MaryamNSharif) July 7, 2019
Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting, Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan dismissed the claims made by PML-N. She also maintained how a baseless story was being cooked to blame and defame the state institutions. “A baseless story was concocted for their own vested interests to make the institutions controversial. It’s not naivety but classic hatred in politics,” she added.
Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan dismissed the claims made by PML-N. She also maintained how a baseless story was being cooked to blame and defame the state institutions.
The PM’s special assistant also clarified that if the claims were valid, they should have been presented before the courts rather than to the media. She added that the man in the video, Nasir Butt, is a proclaimed offender. Analysts believe that the story has been made up for wider political interests.
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There is a common perception that the objective was to create a political situation which may help pressurize the courts so that they may offer some relief to Nawaz Sharif. Dr. Moeed Pirzada, a prominent political commentator, has tweeted “So is there a script? CJ Asif Khosa will be pushed by media to provide relief to Nawaz Sharif through Maryam’s political stunt? Game plan & players getting obvious!”
So is there a script? CJ Asif Khosa will be pushed by media to provide relief to Nawaz Sharif through Maryam's political stunt? Game plan & players getting obvious! https://t.co/fmHBb5HFrK
— Moeed Pirzada (@MoeedNj) July 6, 2019
Dr. Pirzada has repeatedly continued that Nasir Butt, someone who was visiting the judge in probate capacity, should be probed for leaking a video containing personal discussion. He based his argument on the premise that many foreign diplomats and ministers often meet journalists and frequently share their own off-the-record information as well.
Read more: PML-N pays price for Maryam Nawaz’s high-headedness
No journalist is ever expected to leak a video of such discussion. He urged Pakistani media and public intellectuals to approach the matter from this standpoint which is vital to ensure privacy and grace expected in a democracy. Some legal experts believe that the video was created only for political purposes and that it had nothing to do with legal procedures.
A lawyer on ARY TV stated that if the video had some legal significance then it should have been presented as evidence before a court of law, this would have vindicated PML-N’s version, he added. Since the party brought the matter to media and made it a political matter, there are chances that the court might intervene.