ISLAMABAD: Supreme Court of Pakistan on Tuesday ordered federal government to register case into the assassination of prominent journalist Arshad Sharif latest by this evening, and submit the copy of the FIR to the apex court. The court also ordered the federal government to submit investigation report as well.
Also read: SC takes Suo Motu notice of Arshad Sharif’s assassination
A five judge bench headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial initiated the proceedings into the Suo Motu notice of Arshad Sharif’s murder, some 44 days after the prominent journo was assassinated in the outskirts of Kenyan capital Nairobi on October 23.
During the course of proceedings today, the apex court termed the medical report of slain journalist Arshad Sharif as unsatisfactory.
Also read: Media Dept of GCU Lahore converted into Arshad Sharif School of Journalism
The SC asked about the report of the fact finding mission which had recently returned from Kenya, on which the Additional Attorney General told the bench that since Rana Sanaullah, federal interior minister, couldn’t see the report for being in Faisalabad, the report would be submitted as soon as the minister sees it.
Also read: FIA summons PLMN’s Tasneem Haider in Arshad Sharif murder case
Hearing this, honorable judge remark if the government wanted to hide something, and added that if there was something sensitive, the government could submit application to conduct an in-camera hearing.
Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandia said Arshad Sharif was a leading journalist and the 5 judges bench was constituted keeping in view the gravity of the situation. He said the court had also received a letter from the mother of the slain journo.
Also read: PIMS Director confirms torture marks on Arshad Sharif’s body
Concluding the hearing, the SC came to know that neither in Pakistan nor in Kenya any case had been registered regarding the murder of Arshad Sharif. The Apex court ordered the federal government to not only register an FIR latest by this evening, but also submit copy of the FIR to the court, after which the proceedings were adjourned until tomorrow.
