ISLAMABAD: A three-member joint investigation team (JIT) appointed by the Supreme Court concluded in its report on Thursday that every single claim made by anchorperson Dr Shahid Masood in the tragic Zainab rape-murder case was without any sound basis.

“Virtually every single claim made by Dr Shahid Masood has been shown to be without any sound basis,” said the report submitted to the apex court.

On Jan 29, the Supreme Court had constituted the JIT consisting of Director General of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Bashir Memon, Joint Director of the Intelligence Bureau (IB), Islamabad, Anwar Ali and Assistant Inspector General (Operation Division) of Islamabad police Asmatullah Junejo to dig out the truth and determine the veracity of allegations levelled by Dr Masood.

The JIT was tasked with recording the statement of Dr Masood and considering any material the anchorperson desired to produce in support of his claim during the inquiry. The team had to collect any other relevant material available from other quarters to furnish its report in the court within a month.

The JIT was also asked to check the veracity of allegations levelled by Dr Masood and give a clear finding to ascertain whether the allegations were correct or otherwise.

In his programme “Live with Dr Shahid Masood” on News One television channel, the anchorperson had claimed that 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.

But in its report, the JIT stated that all the 18 revelations made by anchorperson were false and baseless, adding that there was no evidence for any of the allegations made by him.

It said there was no conspiracy to declare the convict, Imran Ali, mentally ill or mad and there was never any threat to his life from any influential person.

On the contrary, extraordinary measures had been taken to ensure that no harm could come to Imran Ali and that his fate was decided by no one than the courts to meet the ends of justice, the report said.

It regretted that Dr Masood did not give any evidence that Imran Ali was a member of international mafia or that he had a close affiliation with any politician or political party, or had 37 plus bank accounts with some foreign currencies.

Likewise, the report said, no evidence was provided by Dr Masood to suggest that Imran Ali had a transaction of 1.6 million euros, rather he was a poor man.

About the allegations that a sitting federal minister was involved in violent crime pornography or patronised Imran Ali, the JIT stated that no such evidence came to light.

No evidence was provided that a close friend of that influential figure living abroad had communicated information about the role of the influential figure in the crime, the report said, adding that apparently this person was Zia Shahid who too, during the probe failed to produce any evidence in relation to the allegation of the federal minister being involved in Zainab’s murder.

Dr Masood also failed to prove that violent crime pornography was common in Kasur and that there were many gangs involved in the so-called crime existed.

Published in Dawn, March 2nd, 2018