ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency reiterated on Friday that the alleged video of PTI Senator Azam Swati’s intimate moments - that went viral on social media - was fake while telling a special committee of the Senate that neither was anything shared with the agency nor were they informed who sent the video.
“In the Azam Swati case, Swati’s face was placed on someone else’s torso from a video that was already on the internet,” the FIA director general told the committee. “The video used is probably Indian,” added DG Mohsin Hassan Butt.
Last week, Senator Swati broke down in the middle of a press conference while revealing that the video was sent to his wife’s cell phone. He has since insisted that the video was real, including in an appearance before the Supreme Court, while also claiming to know the location where it was recorded.
Swati had initially claimed that the video was recorded during his stay at the judicial guest house in Quetta, while suggesting that Senate Chairperson Sadiq Sanjrani was involved as he arranged for his stay. Later, during his appearance before the top court, he said that it was recorded during his stay at the Parliamentary Lodges in Quetta.
Senator Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, who chaired the meeting, remarked that the committee would not be able to be of any use if senators from the PTI, including Senator Swati, refuse to take part. Senators from the PTI and its ally PML-Q boycotted the special committee meeting. Senator Saleem Mandviwala, Senator Hidayatullah Dilawar Khan and Senator Mushtaq Ahmed among others attended the meeting.
Senator Haider remarked that the main reason for the committee was to listen to Swati and assist him. He said that Swati was contacted but decided to stay away.
Meanwhile, FIA Director General Mohsin Hassan Butt told the participants of the meeting that the cyber crime wing had found the video to have been edited and fake.
It warrants mention that the FIA made the same claim on November 5, the day Azam Swati held the emotional press conference.
The FIA did not contact Swati for the video or the device on which the video was received as the senator had not filed a complaint. Meanwhile, it has been suggested that the video being shared on social media was not the same as the one sent to Azam Swati’s wife from an unknown number.
During the meeting, Senator Mushtaq inquired from the FIA chief if it was possible to trace the number of the individual who sent the video.
He informed the committee that ‘private numbers’ cannot be traced. “We don’t have the technolgoy to monitor WhatsApp even,” he reportedly told the committee.
Butt told hte committee that the FIA can only trace IP addresses at the local level. “If the video is uploaded from abroad, then tracing it is not possible.”
On November 8, the FIA had communicated the same to the Senate Standing Committee on Interior. They said that they conducted forensic examination of the objectionable video featuring Senator Azam Swati after a letter was written to them by the Ministry of Interior but found the video ‘fake’.
