…Arshad Sharif was killed on the night of October 23 in Kenya by General Service Unit (GSU) officers
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC)taking Sue Motu notice on Tuesday ordered the government to register an FIR in the Arshad Sharif murder case by tonight.
The apex court’s order came during a five-member bench hearing headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial.
Apart from the CJP, the bench included justices Ijazul Ahsan, Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi and Muhammad Ali Mazhar.
CJP takes suo motu notice of Arshad’s ‘brutal killing’
Earlier today, the CJP had taken suo motu notice of the “brutal” murder of the journalist in Kenya.
The SC had said in a statement that the CJP has issued notices to the interior secretary, foreign secretary, information secretary, director generals of Federal Investigation Authority (FIA), Intelligence Bureau, and president of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists.
Last week, former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan wrote a letter to the CJP demanding a judicial inquiry into Sharif’s killing. The journalist was shot dead in Kenya in October.
PM Shehbaz Sharif, too, had written to the CJP for the formation of a judicial commission to investigate Sharif’s killing and a demand was also made by the slain journalist’s mother.
“The journalist community in the country and the public at large are deeply distressed and concerned about the death of the senior journalist and are seeking the court’s scrutiny of the matter,” said the apex court in a statement announcing the suo motu action.
PTI welcomes suo motu notice
PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry welcomed the suo motu notice, saying the public expects judges to stand up for the supremacy of the Constitution and protect human rights despite pressures.
Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, too, welcomed the development, calling the SC notice “commendable”.
He commented that several “hidden faces” would be exposed during the case.
“The nation is also looking towards the SC over the attack on Imran Khan and the Azam Swati case,” he said.
The murder Journalist Arshad Sharif was killed on the night of October 23 in Kenya by Kenyan General Service Unit (GSU) officers as he was being driven to Nairobi.
The Kenyan police had initially claimed that the journalist was shot in a case of mistaken identity.
The government had formed a two-member team, including FIA and IB officials, to probe the murder. The team had travelled to Kenya and UAE.
Last month, FIA had told a Senate committee that it is preparing a report following the return of the investigation team from Kenya.
