Video Scandal
ISLAMABAD: With the Islamabad High Court (IHC) reinstating Nawaz Sharif’s appeals against his convictions in the Avenfield and Al-Azizia references, the video scandal allegedly associated with late judge Arshad Malik, who had sentenced the former prime minister, is also back in the spotlight.
The revival of the Judge Arshad Malik video scandal occurred as the IHC entertained appeals related to Nawaz Sharif’s Avenfield Apartment and Al-Azizia Steel Mills convictions.
Former Chief Justice Asif Saeed Khosa had previously determined, in his judgment on the Judge Malik video case, that the apex court did not wish to interfere in the matter at that stage, especially because an appeal concerning the matter was pending before the IHC.
Barrister Jahangir Jadoon, former advocate general of Islamabad, explained that with the reinstatement of Nawaz’s sentence in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills case, the case had been reactivated and would now be deliberated in the IHC.
He mentioned that while Nawaz’s appeals had been reinstated, questions arose regarding why Nawaz Sharif did not go to jail. Jadoon cited two possible reasons: first, the suspension of Nawaz’s sentence in the Al-Azizia reference by the Punjab government, and second, when the appeal against the Avenfield sentence was reinstated, the suspension of the sentence in the Al-Azizia case was also reinstated.
Jadoon further highlighted the responses from the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), which consistently advised against Nawaz’s arrest. It appeared that if NAB had the authority to withdraw the reference at this stage, they would have already done so.
Arshad Malik, who was an accountability court judge at the time, had convicted Nawaz in the Al-Azizia Steel Mill reference in 2018. Subsequently, a video released by PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz depicted the judge “confessing” to convicting Nawaz under duress.
In July 2020, an administrative committee of the Lahore High Court (LHC) dismissed Arshad Malik from service for misconduct based on an investigation into the video. The emergence of the video scandal had raised questions about the Al-Azizia reference decision.
According to legal experts, the IHC now has the authority to make two decisions: either to remand the Al-Azizia reference back to the accountability court or to decide the fate of this appeal itself. Some experts believe that the Supreme Court also possesses the authority to decide on this appeal.
