ISLAMABAD: The joint investigation team (JIT), which probed TV anchor Dr Shahid Masood’s claims about Imran Ali, the convict in Zainab murder case, submitted its report in the Supreme Court on Thursday, dismissing all the 18 claims of the anchor, holding them false and baseless.
Seven-year old Zainab was kidnapped on January 4, 2018, in Kasur and was found dead five days later from a garbage pile. The post-mortem revealed that Zainab had been raped and killed. Later, the authorities succeeded in nabbing the suspect, Imran, who has been awarded death sentence by a trial court.
In a late night TV show on January 25, Dr Shahid Masood claimed that Zainab’s rapist and killer, Imran Ali, was linked with an influential political figure and was part of an international ring involved in child pornography.
Masood also claimed that Imran had 37 foreign accounts and a minister of Punjab was also part of this ring. Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar then took suo motu notice of the claims and sought a subsequent inquiry. In its report, the JIT declared baseless all of the 18 allegations levelled by the anchor, adding that the anchor was unable to support any of his claims with evidence.
The JIT report stated that no proof was found of the convict’s connection with an influential person or that he was being patronised by a federal or provincial minister.
It said that the convict was a poor man and there was no evidence of any international bank accounts in his name. It also ruled out any influential politician backing Imran Ali. It said that no proof was found that the convict could be killed while in police custody or that the criminal practice of child pornography was common in Kasur.
It said there was no truth in the claims of Dr Masood regarding the operations of many gangs involved in child pornography in Pakistan or that Imran was an active member of such gangs.
The JIT declared as false the claims that the convict’s bank accounts were spread throughout Pakistan or that he received payments from abroad for crimes.
The claims that Imran sent Zainab’s picture to international viewers before committing the crime, or that the incident was viewed live via the Internet, were also found to be false by the JIT, with an observation that no evidence of Imran ever accessing the Dark Web or Internet had been found. Besides, no proof was found that Dr Masood handed the name of an influential figure linked to the convict to the Supreme Court, nor was there any truth found about the claim that a close friend of the influential figure living abroad communicated information about the role of influential figure in violent crime of child pornography in Pakistan. The report said that Dr Masood’s claim that someone would try to prove Imran Ali was clinically insane during trial was also found to be false. It stated that the rejection of the convict’s 37 foreign accounts had already been issued by the State Bank of Pakistan. “Dr Shahid Masood has failed to substantiate his claims with proof,” the JIT report concluded.
On Jan 28, 2018, in Lahore, a three-member Supreme Court bench headed by CJP took up the anchor’s claims and asked him to give evidence of 37 accounts. The chief justice had warned Dr Masood of dire consequences if his claims proved to be false.
Dr Masood then said, “There’s been a cover up.”
However, he was admonished by the CJP when he could not provide any proof in support of his claims.
The court then ordered formation of a JIT, headed by Federal Investigation Agency director general Bashir Memon, to investigate the claims. Other members of the JIT included- Intelligence Bureau joint DG Anwar Ali and Islamabad police’s assistant inspector general (operations) Asmatullah Junejo.
Published in Daily Times, March 2nd 2018.