Releasing videos of accused is illegal, unethical: Nisar

Says cases are decided in courts not through media trials; directs Sindh government to probe and bring the investigation agency to fore

ISLAMABAD: Terming the recent release of ‘confessional videos’ of under-custody suspects by local TV channels illegal and unethical, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Saturday said cases are decided in the courts and not through media trials, reports Geo News.

In a statement issued here, he said sub-judice cases get weakened by unnecessary coverage of such videos, adding that a letter has been sent to the Sindh government on Saturday to launch a probe into the release of videos of detained suspects on the media. The minister urged the provincial government to bring the investigation agency involved in the controversy to the fore.

Nisar said the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) has also been urged to prevent such incidents and would be asked to formulate a code and procedure to curtail such happenings in the future.

“Pemra will be asked to formulate a policy to resolve the issue,” he added.

The statement comes after two videos of Dr Asim Hussain were released on Wednesday and Thursday respectively where he levelled serious corruption charges on former President Asif Ali Zardari and Pakistan People’s Party leader Owais Muzaffar Tappi.

In another ‘confessional video’ the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) headquarter Nine Zero’s security in-charge Minhaj Qazi made revelations regarding former Sindh governor Hakim Saeed’s murder case on Friday.

Nisar stated that the promotion of such videos was illegal and immoral, adding that the decision of the cases involving the promotion of such suspects must be made in the courts, not by a media trial. the interior minister said that unnecessary promotion of the suspects’ videos weakens the cases instead of strengthening them.

He has written a letter to the Sindh government demanding that an investigation be carried out in regard to the matter to find out which investigation agency is behind such incidents.