The main suspect in Judge Arshad Malik video case, Mian Tariq Mehmood, has been remanded into custody of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for three days.
Mehmood was arrested from the federal capital by the FIA on Wednesday and had been in custody since a civil judge approved his two-day physical remand, which expired on Friday. The FIA says he shot the video of Judge Malik that PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz aired at a press conference. During Friday’s hearing, the FIA told the judge that the investigators have recovered a 4GB device from Mehmood and also submitted its forensic report. Mehmood, at this point, told the court that the device was not recovered by the FIA but voluntarily submitted by him. The FIA prosecutor said that Mehmood has also pointed towards some other people who are allegedly involved in the scandal. The FIA counsel said the investigation agency requires an extension in Mehmood’s physical remand for further investigation. Mehmood’s legal representative opposed the FIA’s demand for an extension and said that the investigation has completed. He said the FIA is still conducting raids at Mehmood’s residence in Multan. The judge told FIA to refrain from inflicting torture on the suspect and granted the agency’s request.
“Like big leaders, we also want medical facilities,” argued his lawyer. However, the judge said that according to the medical report, he hasn’t been tortured. Mehmood has been accused by Judge 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 prime minister. 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.
