Fawad Chaudhry questions govt officials’ statement in favour of judge Malik
July 14, 2019
JEDDAH: Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry on Saturday expressed his reservations regarding the federal government's statement backing accountability judge Arshad Malik over his video controversy.
Addressing a ceremony in Jeddah, Chaudhry said, “If the issue is between the court and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), then why did the government hold a press conference backing the statement given by judge Malik?”
He added, minister, should not speak about these issues.
Federal Minister for Law and Justice Barrister Farogh Naseem on Friday had confirmed the judge's removal from duties, following the Islamabad High Court's (IHC) request to remove him after his alleged involvement in a controversial video scandal.
"The law ministry has stopped judge Arshad Malik from performing his duties for now," Naseem said.
He added the law ministry and government are standing by the judiciary. "The government will not victimise anyone or take sides but will not tolerate manipulation of judiciary either," Naseem said.
Earlier in the day, judge Malik had written a letter to the IHC refuting PML-N's allegations and the video purportedly showing him admitting to a lack of evidence against former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills reference. The accountability court judge had sentenced Nawaz Sharif to seven years in prison in the same corruption case in December.
In the affidavit submitted to the IHC, Malik denied the contents of the video and termed them as edited, fabricated, and produced with an aim to defame him.
The Supreme Court of Pakistan has taken up the case over the video scandal allegedly involving the accountability court judge.
The case has been fixed for hearing by a three-judge bench of the apex court led by Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Asif Saeed Khan Khosa on July 16.
