ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday threw the ball in the judiciary’s court asking it to order forensic audit of a video showing an accountability court judge allegedly confessing that he had sentenced former prime minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif under duress.
The video, surrounding the judge Arshad Malik, was brought forward by the PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz at an all-revealing news conference in Lahore on Saturday.
Prime Minister Imran Khan said the PTI government must avoid becoming party to the video scandal. However, he said the government will ensure necessary facilitation to the judiciary in forensic audit of the video.
“The judiciary is free and independent, and therefore it should take notice of the matter,” he said while chairing a meeting of the government spokespersons in the federal capital.
Imran directed his media managers to give the opposition party a befitting response for ‘launching attacks on the state institutions’.
The meeting reviewed the country’s overall political situation in the wake of alleged video confession by the judge.
Maryam claimed that an incriminating video was used to force the judge to give a desired verdict in the Al-Azizia corruption reference against her father Muhammad Nawaz Sharif.
Arshad Malik could be heard in the video saying that there was “no proof of corruption against the deposed premier” in the December 24 Al-Azizia references, and that he was blackmailed into giving a verdict against Nawaz Sharif.
Speaking in Monday’s meeting, Prime Minister Imran saidefforts were afoot to defame state institutions, and directed the party’s representatives to give a strong response to PML-N’s alleged tactics of defaming the institutions.
“PML-N has a history of targeting and maligning the judiciary… but, this is Naya Pakistan and this won’t be tolerated any longer.”
He said all their schemes would prove futile and vowed to continue the ongoing accountability process. The meeting took place hours after Maryam Nawaz demanded that Prime Minister Imran step down, saying (her father) Nawaz Sharif was innocent and wrongly punished.
“The only crime Nawaz Sharif has committed is that he did not commit a crime,” she said while addressing a public rally in Mandi Bahauddin late Sunday night. The government has shown on multiple occasions its intent to conduct a forensic audit of the video and audio ever since the startling revelations were made over the weekend.
On Sunday, Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Information and Broadcasting Firdous Ashiq Awan claimed that the video brought forward by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz was recorded in a media house.
