ISLAMABAD: The Sup­reme Court on Tuesday put anchorperson Dr Shahid Masood off-air for three months after a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) concluded that every single claim made be him in the tragic Zainab rape-murder case was without any sound basis. The court, however, accepted his unconditional apology.

Earlier, the court told Advocate Shah Khawar to ask his client to volunteer to not appear in the television talk show for six months after accepting his mistake. But on the insistence of the counsel and Dr Masood’s request showing remorse the court decided to impose the ban for three months.

A three-judge SC bench headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar had taken up the case of Dr Masood who had in his TV programme on News One television channel claimed that the prime suspect Imran Ali arrested by the Punjab police on the allegations of raping and then killing Zainab was an active member of a child pornography ring being run by certain influential people.

He said the convict also maintained over 37 bank accounts majority of which were in foreign currency with transactions in dollar, euro and pound sterling.

In his programme, Dr Masood had also requested the chief justice, the prime minister and the army chief to take notice of these facts, adding that the rapist was neither a psychic, deranged or insane nor a simpleton.

Advocate Khawar pleaded before the court that his client was willing to volunteer not to conduct the programme for a month and was offering his sincere apology.

But the court said Dr Masood had himself expressed his willingness to be hanged if he was proved wrong. “We are not hanging him, but he should be banned for six months,” the court observed.

In his written apology, Dr Masood said: “I hereby express remorse and repentance over whatever I stated in the programme and tender my unconditional, unqualified and sincere apology from this court. I place myself before the mercy and majesty of this court and seek clemency.”

He said he held this court in very high esteem and expected very sympathetic treatment. “I also hereby state that I will accept any treatment of law extended by the court into the matter and will abide by the same in its letter and spirit,” said the one-page apology.

The three-member JIT comprising Federal Investigation Agency Director General Bashir Memon, Intelligence Bureau Islamabad Joint Director Anwar Ali and Islamabad police Assistant Inspector General (operation division) Asmatullah Junejo was constituted by the Supreme Court to dig out the truth and determine the veracity of allegations levelled by Dr Masood.

In its report, the JIT concluded that virtually every single claim made by Dr Masood had been shown to be without any sound basis.

Rejecting Dr Masood’s response to the JIT report, the apex court had on March 12 asked the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority to assist the court in determining how long the transmission of a television channel could be shut under the relevant laws.

Published in Dawn, March 21st, 2018