The Supreme Court (SC) has ordered the federal government to register a first information report (FIR) of the murder of journalist Arshad Sharif by tonight.
Earlier in the day, the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) had taken suo motu notice of Arshad Sharif’s “brutal killing”.
Read more: Supreme Court takes suo moto notice of Arshad Sharif’s killing
The court had issued notices to the interior secretary, foreign secretary, information secretary, director generals of the Federal Investigation Authority (FIA), Intelligence Bureau, and president of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists.
#ArshadShareefShaheed #JusticeForArshadSharif 🤲 pic.twitter.com/YjsBjyAdbd
— Salman Iqbal ARY (@Salman_ARY) December 6, 2022
According to the details, a five-member larger bench including CJP Justice Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi, and Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar heard the case.
During the hearing today, the apex court also directed the authorities concerned to submit the report of the fact-finding committee by today.
“Why has it not been provided to the court as yet?” the CJP asked the Additional Attorney General of Pakistan (AAGP).
The report has been finalized and will be submitted to the SC after reviewing by Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, the AAGP replied to the CJP’s query.
“Why does he want to look at the report before the submission? Is he planning to change it?” the CJP remarked.
Read more: Arshad Sharif: A Hero that Reminds of Aristotle’s “Greek Tragedy”
“A journalist was killed. It should be revealed who was behind the killing,” the CJP remarked, adding that the fact-finding committee which had traveled to Kenya had been back in Pakistan for some time. “Why has the final report of the government-formed commission not been provided to the SC?”
Later, the hearing was adjourned until tomorrow.
Arshad Sharif, a strong supporter of PTI chairman and former Prime Minister Imran Khan, was shot dead in Kenya’s Nairobi city on October 23. The death of the journalist sent shock waves across the country and prompted calls for thorough investigation and disclosure of facts.
