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| India-Pakistan |
| Rehman declares Swat flogging video real |
| 2010-04-15 |
| [Geo News] Interior Minister Rehman Malik said Wednesday that a video shown on media about the public flogging of a woman by masked Taliban was real. A local news agency had claimed in its report that the video was fake. The report said the law enforcement agencies had also arrested some people from Swat and Kohat in this regard. The arrested men alleged that an Islamabad-based non NGO, which was not part of the local or state or federal government organization, had financed preparation of fake video and paid 0.5 million rupees for doing so. When contacted by Geo News, Kohat DIG said that no arrest was made in connection with the flogging video. IG Kohat Abdullah Khan was contacted and asked whether any arrests were made from Kohat where police had registered a case in this regard, replied that arrests are made every day in Kohat as part of the ongoing operation against miscreants. But, he added, that so far as arrests in connection with Swat case are concerned, no one has been held by police or security agencies. However, he said, DPO Swat or DIG Malakand would be in a better position to say something. In this connection, DIG Malakand Qazi Jameel said investigations into the incident of public flogging of a girl was still underway. He said Kabal police station had lodged an FIR after the release of the video. The case was registered under sections 120, 337, 345, 365, 364 of the Anti Terrorism Act and that investigation into the incident is still in progress. We have set up an investigation team in this regard, he added. "So, the investigation is still on as to whether this incident did actually take place or not. SP Investigation Swat is leading the above team and the investigation is still underway," DIG Malakand said. Interior Minister Rehman Malik said so far no such person has come forward claiming that the video of public flogging of a girl was fake. When asked about the originality of the video, Rehman Malik said the media had first shown the video which people watched and believed everything that was being shown in the video. But then the media came up with another report saying the video 'was fake and made on payment', he added. The Interior Minister said he had talked to IG and that the investigation conducted so far reveals that the video was real. "No one has, as yet, come forward with a claim that he had taken money for making that video," he added. When contacted, Interior Ministry and ISPR denied arresting any such person. Muslim Khan, then Tehrik-e-Taliban spokesman, had confirmed the incident but criticized doing it publicly. While talking to media, Muslim Khan condemned Muslims for creating such hype like Europeans wanted it to be. He was of the view that the girl deserved punishment either outside or inside but it was wartime and giving punishment inside was not possible and scholars were also not present. This video is nine months old and why not the video of men punished later was not shown, he asked. |
| Posted by:Fred |