Court issues orders to arrest Shahid Masood in PTV scam

• Special judge directs police to arrest, produce TV anchor before on next hearing

ISLAMABAD: A local court on Friday threw out a bail petition of a TV anchorperson Dr Shahid Masood in a case pertaining to the alleged financial irregularities in the state-run Pakistan Television.

Special Central Judge Irum Niazi directed the police to arrest and produce him before the court on the next hearing. The judge was seized with the hearing of an application filed by Dr Masood, seeking bail before the arrest in the case.

Khawar Shah appeared before the court as counsel for the anchor. The judge rejected his plea over his failure to appear in person, saying the accused should have turned up in the court. She issued directives for the police to arrest and present him on the next hearing.

During the previous hearing, the court had issued non-bailable arrest warrants for the anchorperson. Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) investigation officer Kashif Riaz Awan had requested the court to issue non-bailable warrants for the anchor’s arrest.

In March, the Supreme Court slapped a three-month ban on Shahid Masood’s TV talk show after a probe committee found his startling claims in the Zainab rape and murder case false and baseless.