Prodigal actress escapes multiple court pleas | Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)

Pakistan Press Foundation

Prodigal actress escapes multiple court pleas

By Qaiser Zulfiqar / Rana Yasif

ISLAMABAD/LAHORE: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday dismissed yet another petition against actress Veena Malik following her controversial photo shoot in an Indian magazine which has triggered a countrywide debate.

Justice Muhammad Anwar Khan Kasi, who previously had struck down an identical petition of advocate Saleemullah Khan, again dismissed the petition of advocate Waqas Malik – on the same ground that the forum for entertaining such petitions was ‘inappropriate’.

“She [Veena] has been controversial throughout her career but no one contested her acts, this time she crossed her limits by using the Inter-Services Intelligence’s (ISI) name,” argued Malik, adding: “Nudity was not my subject, my plea was to address the ongoing campaign against our valuable institution, the ISI, which has come under fire either through the memogate scandal or through Veena Malik’s theatrics”.

Malik had named as respondents the secretary interior, director general (DG) Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), DG ISI, DG Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) and DG Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) in the petition.

Through the writ petition, he was seeking court orders to register a criminal case against the actress and placing her name on the Exit Control List.

Notice issued to SHO

Meanwhile, Additional District and Sessions Judge Tahir Khan Niazi on Monday issued a notice for December 19 to a station house officer (SHO) in Lahore for his comments on a petition seeking registration of a case against Veena.

The petitioner, Advocate Ishtiaq Choudhary, contended that the actress had tarnished the image of Pakistan at an international level by posing controversially for the Indian magazine. He added that Veena’s actions hurt the sentiments of Pakistani people. He prayed the court to direct the SHO to register a case against her.

Meanwhile, Iqbal Town police on Monday submitted a report in Additional District and Sessions Judge Rana Zahid Iqbal’s court on another petition filed by advocate Syed Mazhar seeking the registration of a similar case.

Police in its report contended that the petitioner should file the case in India since neither the photo shoot was done under the Iqbal Town Police precincts nor was the FHM magazine printed under Iqbal Town Police’s jurisdiction.

December 16 was fixed as the next date of hearing since the judge was on leave.

Source: TRIBUNE