F.P. Report
LAHORE: Supreme Court of Pakistan ordered to form new Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to probe the claims of anchorperson regarding the Imran Ali, accused of Zainab rape-murder that he is possessing more than 37 bank accounts.
While hearing the suo motu notice on Sunday regarding the Zainab murder case at Lahore registry. A three member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Saqib Nisar, the bench also includes Justices Ijazul Ahsan and Manzoor Malik.
Seven years old Zainab was kidnapped on January 4 in Kasur and after five days her body was found from a garbage pile. The post-mortem revealed Zainab had been raped and murdered.
Police arrested the accused identified as Imran Ali and authorities said that the arrested is a serial killer involved in several similar cases in Kasur.
The Supreme Court bench by taking up an anchorperson’s allegations refuted by the government, that the suspect Imran has several bank accounts and is part of an international ring involving government officials.
As the hearing went under way, the video of the anchorperson’s Thursday’s media talk outside the Supreme Court in Islamabad was played.
Chief Justice Saqib Nisar asked the anchorperson to present the proves of your claimed that the accused had 37 bank accounts.
Appearing before the bench, the anchorperson said several other people are involved in the case, adding that the post-mortem of the victim and DNA tests of suspects were not conducted the right way.
Failing to present a satisfying reply and instead questioning the chief justice’s own practices, the anchorperson was admonished for leveling baseless allegations.
During the hearing CJP told anchorperson Dr Shahid Masood that the accounts you mentioned don’t exist and adding that give evidence and I will present you a certificate of honesty.
The court then ordered the formation of a new joint investigation team (JIT), headed by Federal Investigation Agency Director General Bashir Memon, to investigate the anchorperson’s claims.
The court had also summoned today the heads of several news organizations as well as senior journalists, who are assisting the court with regards to the anchorperson’s claims and the media’s code of conduct.
Addressing the authorities, the chief justice directed the submission of the charge-sheet as soon as possible and tasked the Punjab prosecutor general to monitor the case’s progress.
