Maryam releases two videos to claim Judge was 'blackmailed'

Maryam Nawaz

Lahore: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Maryam Nawaz Thursday released two more video clips to corroborate her claim that a judge met a PML-N supporter to confess that he was "blackmailed and forced" to convict former premier Nawaz Sharif in a corruption case. Sharif, 69, has been serving a seven-year prison term at the Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore since December 24, 2018 when Accountability Court Judge Arshad Malik convicted him in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills case - one of the three cases filed in the wake of the apex court's July 28, 2017 order in Panama Papers case.

Uploading two video clips on Twitter on Judge Malik's meeting with PML-N sympathiser Nasir Butt at the former's residence, Maryam on Wednesday said: "Judge Malik's official car with a green number plate comes to escort Nasir Butt who then follows the car to Judge's residence. (It) belies all claims of Judge Malik that he mentioned in his press release." Maryam tweeted a second video which she claimed shows Butt entering the judge's residence. "Judge Malik comes in, greets Butt & switches the lights on," she tweeted. Maryam released a video clip on Saturday purportedly showing Judge Malik allegedly confessing that he was "blackmailed and forced" to convict Sharif in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills case. The following day Judge Malik termed the video "fabricated and false" and said it was made by twisting his conversations on different occasions.

"The videos showed during the press conference were fake and based on lies and assumptions. Therefore, legal action should be taken against those individuals involved in this," Malik said in press release. Maryam dismissed Malik's rebuttal, saying like his verdict he issued clarification under pressure. "The judge sahib is helpless and a hostage. We rather sympathise with him," she said. She also said that she will release more videos related to this saga. After the release of the first video Maryam was summoned by the accountability court (Islamabad) for a fake trust deed related to the properties in court. The notice asked Maryam or her counsel to appear before court on July 19 to respond to the application filed by the NAB seeking initiation of proceedings against her for presenting the 'fake' trust deed before the investigation team and the judge of the accountability court.

"I do not want to lose a chance to expose the misdeeds of the selected government before the people of Pakistan. I will present irrefutable facts before the court in this respect," Maryam said, referring to the notice. "They want to either arrest or put me under house arrest at any cost. After failing to find anything against me they have reopened a case in which I had been handed down a sentence which the high court had suspended. This (case) is illegal. Therefore, it will not work," she further said.

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