IHC removes objections to plea of video scandal accused

Nasir Butt wants to give a statement before court

ISLAMABD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has removed objections of its registrar office to a miscellaneous application of Nasir Butt, an accused, who wants to give a statement before the court with regard to a controversial video of an accountability court former judge Arshad Malik.

Judge Arshad Malik, who convicted former premier Nawaz Sharif in December 2018 in a corruption case, was seen in the video confessing before Butt – a Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) worker – that he was forced into sentencing Nawaz. The video was unveiled by the PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz.

Later, on complaint of the judge, the police lodged an FIR against various accused including Butt. A court later acquitted three of the accused but Nasir Butt and his son are still under custody.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Saturday also arrested another man, Faisal Shaheen, from Rawalpindi for his alleged involved in filming the video that has left a question mark on the judge’s December 24, 2018 verdict in Al-Azizia reference.

On Tuesday, an IHC division bench – consisting of Justice Amir Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kiyani – announced its judgment reserved a day earlier and directed the registrar office that the miscellaneous application of Nasir Butt be numbered.

The judgment said the judicial side will decide if Butt was the aggrieved party. Butt has sought permission to give his testimony before the court. He has also requested that the court also review the video’s forensic report and statement of the forensic expert.