Tuesday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif sent two separate letters to Pakistan’s chief justice asking him to set up judicial commissions to look into the shooting of former Prime Minister Imran Khan during the long march at Wazirabad and the death of journalist Arshad Sharif in Kenya.
The prime minister has asked CJP Justice Umar Ata Bandial to form judicial commissions made up of all Supreme Court judges who are currently available to look into the shooting incident that occurred during the PTI rally and to investigate Sharif’s murder and determine the facts and circumstances surrounding it.
The letter was sent as tensions were still high on Tuesday and the outrage that followed Imran’s shooting incident was still present five days later. Supporters and workers of the PTI have charged the government with planning the murder attempt.
While giving the panel his unconditional support and cooperation in the letters, the premier also highlighted several concerns and encouraged the commission to take them into account when looking into the matter.
In the letter on the shooting at the Wazirabad rally, PM Shehbaz indicated that the federal government believed that, while a criminal investigation was ongoing, an impartial body should look into the incident in order to put things to rest and regain public trust in state institutions.
First, he asked the CJP to take into account which law enforcement agencies were in charge of guarding the convoy, as well as whether any security protocols and other standard operating procedures had been put in place to secure the convoy and whether they had been followed.
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Given that the letters from the premier claimed that no FIR had been filed despite more than 72 hours having passed, it appears that they were prepared before the Wazirabad event.
The crime scene has not been secured, and the container on which the PTI leadership was hurt has not yet been taken into custody for forensic examination, according to the PM.
The PTI head was not brought to a registered medical-legal facility after the incident; instead, he was taken immediately to a private cancer research hospital, he said.
PM Shehbaz added in his plea for the judicial panel that it must look into the situation, gather the facts, find the offenders, and assign blame for the tragedy.
He declared that if the request made in the interest of promoting the cause of the rule of law in the nation is granted, the government will be extremely grateful and will commit to giving the commission its full assistance and cooperation throughout the process.
Arshad Sharif case
Regarding the murder of the journalist, PM Shehbaz stated that there have been claims linking the federal government and security services to Sharif’s demise. The federal government was of the opinion that these claims and aspirations were damaging to public perceptions of state institutions and, if not promptly investigated, would result in a long-term decline in public confidence.
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The premier stated that after a shooting event in Kenya that tragically resulted in the murder of veteran journalist Arshad Sharif, the government deployed two skilled officers right away to communicate with the Kenyan authorities and conduct their own impartial investigation into the matter.
We are anticipating their report and recommendations, and the law will follow its natural course.
“Multiplicity of enquiries is not desirable and therefore, the Federal Government wishes to accord its full support to such a request made by the mother of the deceased,” PM Shehbaz stated, saying, therefore, it would only be appropriate if the matter is probed into by an impartial body.
He has asked the CJP to appoint a panel of judges from the top court to look into this subject of national security and concern and determine the facts and circumstances surrounding M Sharif’s murder. He has also asked the commission to take the following into consideration.
The PM enquired as to Sharif’s reasons for leaving the UAE and travelling to Kenya. What are the specifics of the shooting event that resulted in Sharif’s death, he continued?