FIA raids Tariq TV showroom
By Nadeem Shah
MULTAN: A special team of the Federal Investigation Agency raided the Tariq TV showroom on Wednesday night and recovered documents and computer data related to Mian Tariq, a key suspect in Judge Arshad Malik’s leaked video, FIA insiders revealed to The News.
Mian Tariq captured headlines when an objectionable video of former NAB court judge Arshad Malik was leaked. Sources involved in the leaked video revealed that the video established relations between Arshad Malik and the underworld when he had served in Multan as additional district and sessions judge in 2002. Documents have established that the Anti-Narcotics Force had arrested international drug dawn Mushtaq Malik alias Black Prince from Multan in June 2001 on the charges of his involvement in an international racket of narcotics. The ANF arrested Black Prince in connection with his confessional statement which he had presented to US authorities during his nine years imprisonment in a US prison in 1997. He was released from the US prison in 2001 and the ANF arrested him from Multan when he returned.
The confessional statement had indicated the involvement of former president Asif Ali Zardari. The ANF team also recovered 5,500kg hashish from his accomplices Mian Idrees, Pervez Malik, Ahsan, Rauf, Noor Islam and Ahmed Radowala. Mian Idrees was active in developing personal relations with police hierarchy and bureaucracy and was liaison between Black Prince and international drug suppliers. The seized hashish was to be smuggled to the Netherlands, but the ANF foiled the bid and busted the whole network.
The key character in the judge video scam, Mian Tariq, is the younger brother to Mian Idrees. Mian Tariq always remained in limelight with limited socialization but he went active following the arrest of his elder brother Mian Idrees. Mian Tariq entered the scene to contest a legal battle for his elder brother. He started refreshing his relations with not only the police but also the judiciary. Mian Tariq approached the then AD&SJ Arshad Malik in Multan in connection with legal counselling to acquit his brother. Mian Tariq’s close friends said Tariq was a person of infamous repute and had videos of many other persons, particularly from the judiciary, in his telephone recordings. He manipulated enhancing relationships with the judiciary when he was following a case of narcotics smuggling back in 2001. Sources close to Mian Tariq revealed Arshad Malik was fond of attending social gatherings and parties. Mian Tariq had hosted a dance party in 2002 in which Arshad Malik participated. Mian Tariq arranged shooting of the video when Arshad Malik was enjoying in the objectionable dance party.
Friends of Mian Tariq disclosed he attempted to sell the dance party video to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz. Sources said Mian Tariq demanded Rs 50 million from the PML-N to finalize the deal. Arshad Malik also visited Multan when he allegedly came to know about the deal between Mian Tariq and the PML-N. He secretly visited Multan and held a meeting with Mian Tariq but the deal had been finalized before his arrival, sources said.
Senior journalist Shakil Anjum from Multan confirmed that Arshad Malik arrived in Multan on June 28, 2019. He stayed at a guesthouse and booked two rooms (128-129) in his driver’s name. Shakil Anjum said Mian Tariq wanted to sell the video by all means and for this purpose, he tried to deal with both leading opposition parties PPP and PML-N.