Aamir Liaquat’s widow indicted for leaking obscene videos

A court indicted on Thursday Syeda Dania Shah, widow of the late televangelist and politician Aamir Liaquat Hussain, on charges of recording and leaking his obscene videos on social media.

Judicial Magistrate-I (East) Mukesh Kumar read out the charges against Shah, who was produced from jail. She pleaded not guilty and opted to contest them. He then directed the prosecution to present its witnesses on the next date to record their testimonies against the accused and adjourned the hearing until February 2.

Dania Shah was arrested by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) from her house in the Lodhran district of Punjab on December 15. According to a charge sheet submitted in the court, the investigating officer, Inspector Arfa Saeed, said Shah, who was the third wife of Hussain, allegedly recorded his obscene videos with an intention to use them to humiliate him, adding that she also publically admitted to committing the “criminal act” in different interviews available online.

“Prima facie it is established that Dania Bibi made sexually explicit videos of her husband Aamir Liaquat and transmitted the same publically to create hatred against his modesty that resulted in fear of violence and distress in the mind of deceased Aamir Liaquat,” reads the charge sheet, a copy of which is available with The News.

Furthermore, it said, the technical analysis of a USB provided by the complainant revealed that the objectionable video of the late lawmaker was shared by different YouTube channels. The forensic examination of the equipment seized from Fuzail Chohan, personal assistant of Hussain, disclosed that he received the objectionable video from a WhatsApp number that belonged to Muhammad Rashid (Ansar bhai) and analysis of the CDR of the number showed that Dania Shah remained in contact with him on May 5, 2022, the challan said, adding that Rashid shared the video in question with Fuzail on May 12.

In light of the above-mentioned facts, circumstances and evidence collected so far, the IO concluded that the accused having criminal intention committed the offence against the modesty of a natural person. The accused, therefore, was liable to be prosecuted for the offence punishable under section 20 (malicious code), 21 (cyberstalking) and 24 (legal recognition), of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act 2016, she said.

At the previous hearing, the court had accepted the charge sheet, observing that prima facie sufficient material had been placed in the shape of statements recorded under Section 161 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), a USB containing interviews wherein the accused voluntarily admitted to the commissioning of the crime and circumstantial evidence showing the connectivity established through the CDR between her and a person, named Ansar Bhai, who transferred the videos to Fuzail Chohan.

“Hence, cognizance under Section 20(1), 21(1)(b)(c)(d) and 24(1) of PECA-2016 is taken against the accused. I also take cognizance under Section 16(1) of PECA-2016 as there appears to be the material of accessing unauthorizedly to gain the victim’s personal information,” said

the court.