Lahore (Web Desk): The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on raided the central secretariat of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in Lahore's Model Town on Thursday to confiscate record in connection with the video scandal of former accountability court judge Arshad Malik.
According to PML-N leader Ataullah Tarar, four-member FIA team, including a female officer, conducted the raid.
He said that the FIA officials took a computer hard drive in its custody.
“The hard drive contained data related to PML-N's internal matters”, Tarar said.
The raid comes two days after the FIA had summoned three main leaders of the PML-N in the video scandal of judge Arshad who convicted former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in the Al-Azizia Mills corruption case.
Senator Pervaiz Rashid and PML-N Punjab information secretary Azma Bokhar had been summoned on December 30, and deputy secretary general Attaullah Tarar on December 27 at the FIA’s Lahore office to record their statements.
Speaking to media after the raid, Tarar said that the government had been provided with the "original video" by Nasir Butt, the man in whom Malik had allegedly confided, but no forensic examination had been carried out.
The PML-N leader said that the raid was part of "revenge tactics" by the government.
This is pertinent to mention that, PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz, in a press conference on July 12, unveiled a controversial video purportedly showing judge Malik confessing that he was “pressurised” into convicting ex-premier Nawaz Sharif in Al-Azizia case without any evidence following which the judge was barred by the law ministry from serving on the post.
In a letter to the Islamabad High Court (IHC) Arshad Malik had refuted Maryam Nawaz’s claims adding that he was offered Rs100mn as bribe.
On August 22, the IHC had ordered disciplinary proceedings against Malik for violating the code of conduct.