ISLAMABAD: Disposing of a petition, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to probe the video leak matter strictly in accordance with the law.

The petition was filed by the relative of the main character in video leak controversy against alleged harassment by the agency.

IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah heard the petition and after initial hearing disposed of the matter asking the petitioner to appear before the investigating officer as it was a requirement under the law.

Petitioner’s counsel Khalid Mehmood Khan and Shahista Tabassum advocates argued that the FIA counter terrorism wing (CTW) on the pretext of investigation is harassing the family and friends of Nasir Butt who brought to the fore the ‘confessional’ video of the judge.

The court, however, said that the investigating officer was expected to deal with the case strictly in accordance with the law.

The court noted: “Every investigating officer is under an obligation to carry out investigation in a fair, transparent manner and strictly in accordance with the law without causing unnecessary harassment.”

The petitioner’s nephew of Nasir Butt alleged that FIA was harassing his entire family because of their relation with Nasir Butt.

Mr Butt, who is senior vice president of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), UK, is the main character in the video leak controversy and has recently submitted evidence against the former accountability judge Mohammad Arshad Malik.

The evidence included the notarised copies of transcript of audio recording of the conversation between Butt and judge Malik, transcript of video-cum-audio recording of the conversation, affidavit of the petitioner, forensic reports of audio and video recordings and a USB containing the copies of the original audio and video-cum-audio recordings of the conversations attached with the petition.

The petitioner informed the IHC that FIA’s assistant director Ijaz Ahmed Shah, “just to harass and pressurize the family members of Nasir Butt and petitioners, had summoned all of them to the FIA Headquarters and later on they are implicated in false and frivolous cases and leveled sections of Anti Terrorism Act (ATA) which is against the basic rights of the petitioners.”

The petition went on to say that the FIA is harassing even those family members who had “no concern whatsoever with the commission of any offence.”

The petitioner requested the court that the direction be given to the FIA “not to harass and pressurize the petitioners and other family members” just for being relatives of Nasir Butt.

Published in Dawn, October 12th, 2019