Senior investigative journalist Shahid Aslam took to Twitter to announce his release from the custody of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for his alleged part in leaking the personal tax data of former army chief General (retired) Qamar Javed Bajwa.
In a series of tweets, he thanked his colleagues within the media community.
He said, “Thanks everybody including the media community particularly @UmarCheema1 @AzazSyed @matiullahjan911 @Fahdshehbazkhan @AmirZia1 @AnsarAAbbasi @AsadAToor and my lawyer @MianAliAshfaq for the unprecedented support on my illegal arrest by @FIA_Agency and those who had ordered.”
After Aslam’s arrest, many journalists came forward for his defence.
On January 18, the Islamabad sessions court granted bail to him after being in custody for four days.
On January 14, Aslam was sent on a two-day physical remand to FIA over his alleged involvement in this matter.
‘Dehshatgardon ki tarhaan mujhe uthwaya hai’; journalist who was allegedly involved in Gen Bajwa’s tax data leak lashes out
Bol News journalist Shahid Aslam, talking to the media, has categorically said that he has nothing to do with former army chief General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa’s tax data leak.
The journalist directly blamed Director General (DG) Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Mohsin Butt for picking him up from his house “like a terrorist”. According to him, 20-25 men were sent to pick him up.
“They [FIA] have mentally tortured me”, Aslam said.
Aslam alleged that Mohsin Butt was given orders from higher up that he had to bring the journalist in.
On Monday, a local court in Islamabad sent Aslam to jail on judicial remand.
Journalist who was allegedly involved in Gen Bajwa’s tax data leak is handed over to FIA
On Saturday, Aslam was sent to a two-day physical remand to FIA over his alleged involvement in this matter.
Judicial Magistrate Umar Shabbir of the District and Sessions court announced the decision to hand over the journalist to the agency. During the proceedings, the reporter denied all charges against him, saying that there is no evidence against him.
However, the prosecutor said the proof is in Aslam’s mobile phone and laptop, which he is not providing to the investigators. He claimed the journalist played the role of “facilitator” in the leak.
Earlier that day, the agency arrested Aslam from Lahore and produced him in court.
In November, a report by investigative news website FactFocus accused the army chief and his family of amassing assets worth Rs12.7 billion over the past six years. FactFocus has claimed that after the publication of the story, the traffic on its site was “disrupted” and the website had been “banned”.
At the time, Finance minister Ishaq Dar had said that the leak was “clearly violative of the complete confidentiality of tax information that the law provides”.
He also shared that he has received the interim report related to the leak of Gen (retd) Bajwa’s income tax records, adding that the authorities had traced some of the people involved in the act.
