ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the government to register a first information report (FIR) of the murder of senior journalist Arshad Sharif by tonight.
A five-member larger bench comprising Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ijaz-ul-Ahsan, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi and Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, heard the suo-motu case.
The court directed the authorities concerned to submit a copy of the FIR to the court by tomorrow (Wednesday). The court also sought inquiry report of the fact-finding committee formed by the government to probe the killing. The court directed the Foreign Office to submit a response to the court regarding the investigation and the registration of a FIR in Kenya.
During the hearing, the CJP noted that it should be revealed that who was behind the killing of the senior journalist. He said the court was waiting for last 43 days for the government formed committee, that visited Kenya, report on the journalists’ killing. He also termed the medical report of Sharif’s killing as ‘unsatisfactory’. He noted that the court was taking the matter seriously, thus a five-member larger bench was constituted.
To a court query, Foreign Secretary Asad Majeed Khan, who appeared on notice, stated that the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had contacted the President of Kenyan regarding killing of the journalist. He stated that the Pakistani High Commissioner in Kenya was in touch with the relevant authorities of Kenya.
The Chief Justice noted that the nation had apprehensions over the killing of Arshad Sharif. He said all facts would have to be brought to light. Later, the court adjourned the hearing for tomorrow (Wednesday). The Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial on Tuesday morning had taken suo motu notice of the ‘brutal killing’ of senior journalist Arshad Sharif.
“The journalist community in the country and the public at large are deeply distressed and are concerned about the death of the senior journalist and are seeking the court’s scrutiny of the matter,” a statement issued by the Supreme Court on Tuesday said.
A few days earlier, PTI chief Imran Khan penned a letter to the CJP Umar Ata Bandial, requesting him to conduct an independent judicial inquiry into the killing of senior journalist/anchorperson Arshad Sharif, who was shot dead in Kenya on October 24, 2022 in mysterious circumstances.
Last month, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had also announced that a judicial commission would be formed to probe the matter and subsequently wrote a letter to the CJP in this regard. On November 2, 2022, mother of Arshad Sharif had also written a letter to the CJP, requesting him to constitute a high-powered judicial commission to investigate the murder of her son.
