Cleric denies making remarks at anyone’s behest

Admits to running a web channel since 2017

ISLAMABAD:

Agha Iftikharuddin Mirza – a Rawalpindi-based cleric – accused of delivering derogatory/abusive words against the institution of judiciary and judges especially Justice Qazi Faez Isa on Wednesday denied making the remarks on anyone’s direction or instigation.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) submitted an interim report in the apex court wherein it was stated that the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) was probing the matter as two accused namely Agha Iftikharuddin Mirza and Akbar Ali had been arrested.

The case has already been registered under section 7ATA, section 34, 500, 505, 506 PPC 1869 and under section 20 of Pakistan Electronics Crimes Act (Peca) 2016.

The FIA report stated that QMobile, iPhone, SIMs, laptop and movie camera had been recovered from both the accused.

Mirza in his statement said that he had been associated with Imam Barghah Rawalpindi where he preached Islamic teachings.

He said that he was also running a web channel by the name "Iqra" since 2017 from one of the rooms of his residence.

Giving the details, he said that co-accused Akbar Ali recorded his speeches and upload them and managed his YouTube channel and Facebook.

He admitted that on June 14 after maghrib prayers, he addressed six to seven namazis (worshippers), while co-accused Akbar Ali and another Rasool Shah were also present there.

Mirza said that Ali recorded his speech with a movie camera, edited it and then uploaded it without his consent on his YouTube channel.

The accused contended that when he came to know about uploading of the video, he immediately asked Ali to delete it.

The FIA interim report stated that Mirza had denied that he delivered the speech on anyone’s direction or instigation and added that the accused had already submitted his unconditional apology in the Supreme Court.

The investigation agency said that co-accused Akbar Ali had admitted that he edited and uploaded Mirza’s videos on his web channel and Facebook.

Ali also admitted that he recorded Mirza’s video on June 14 and uploaded it on June 22.

However, he stated that he got frightened and deleted that video when one of the page followers of Mirza told him that this act amounted to contempt of court.

The FIA told the apex court that the accused had already deleted the video from social media and that they were on physical remand until July 6 and further interrogation was being carried out.

Meanwhile, the IP address used by the accused for uploading the video has been traced and the concerned ISP has been approached to provide subscriber details of internet devices.

The report said that the concerned operators had also been approached to obtain CDRs and subscribers’ details of the SIMs in use of the accused persons to further unearth the probable nexus with other co-accused.

The apex court will resume hearing of the case on Thursday (today).

On Tuesday, an anti-terrorism court approved a seven-day physical remand of Mirza who was already in the custody of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

Last week, Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed had taken suo motu notice of the footage doing the rounds on social media a day after Justice Isa’s wife Sarina Isa filed an application at Islamabad’s Secretariat Police Station to register a first information report (FIR).

Sarina had complained that her husband had received a death threat via a video in which the intimidator – Maulvi Mirza – could be heard saying: “Isa should be shot publicly.”

“Whoever is caught in embezzlement, whether it be Faez Isa or anyone else, should be executed through a firing squad. Those who indulge in such activities must be hanged and the entire city should be invited to watch it,” the person in the video said.

“People should be asked to come to Fawara Chowk [in Rawalpindi] to see someone was being hanged,” he added.

Sarina claimed that many powerful people were not happy with her husband and she suspected the death threat was in continuation of what they have been facing.

Justice Isa faced a presidential reference on misconduct, but a 10-judge bench of the Supreme Court on June 20 quashed it.

However, the apex court directed the Federal Board of Revenue to continue with its proceedings in three offshore properties owned by the wife and children of the judge.