The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Friday arrested television anchor and conspiracy theorist Dr Shahid Masood from court premises after Islamabad High Court (IHC) dismissed his bail petition.
Masood had filed a plea in IHC after the expiry of his interim bail period on Friday. Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kiyani dismissed his petition for pre-arrest bail, leading to his arrest. The TV anchor known for peddling rumors and conspiracies against civilian administrations is accused of involvement in financial irregularities amounting to Rs38 million during his stint at the state-owned Pakistan Television Network.
A district court of Islamabad had issued non-bailable arrest warrants for Masood on the request of FIA but he obtained an interim pre-arrest bail. But a special court of FIA refused to confirm his interim bail plea in October. Shahid Masood appeared before the court on Friday to get bail. The FIA arrested him after the court refuted his plea.
Published in Daily Times, November 24th 2018.
