ISLAMABAD: A fact finding report consists of 592 pages has surfaced online which purports to tell about circumstances surrounding the brutal assassination of prominent journalist Arshad Sharif in the outskirts of the Kenyan capital Nairobi.
A number of journalists working with different media outlets took to Twitter to post content of the fact finding report which covers evidences, recorded statements and situations which led Arshad Sharif to leave the country.
The 592-page report bears signatures of both the director generals of FIA and Intelligence Bureau, and appeared online hours before a five-judge larger SC bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial and comprising Justice Ijazul Ahsan, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhel, Justice Mazahir Ali Akbar Naqvi and Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar is set to resume the haring of the Suo Motu case today.
In its report, the fact finding committee stated that the slain TV anchorperson was forced to leave Pakistan after threats associated with the cases registered against him for his stance against some state institutions. The report also pointed out some violations in registration of cases against the senior journalist.
The investigators also found that Mr Sharif was forced to leave the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after officials from that Gulf state visited him and ordered him to leave the country. He was then given an ultimatum of 48 hours to move from Dubai while having no visa for any other country. He again applied for a UAE visit visa which was rejected thereafter.
The probe team also found discrepancies in postmortems performed of doctors in Kenya and Pakistan. It also revealed that Kenyan police refused to produce one of the four officers who had opened fire on Mr Sharif.
The report stated that Waqar – who sponsored and hosted the journalist – was connected to Kenya’s National Intelligence Service (NIS) and other international agencies and law enforcement.
It furthered that the fact that Waqar handed over Sharif’s personal cell phone and iPad to a NIS officer, rather than to the police, ‘established’ his link with the NIS.
“His linkage with national and international agencies provides a scope of possibilities of transnational characters in this case”.
After reading the report, Supreme Court reporter concluded that Arshad Sharif’s murder was actually a ‘planned targeted assassination with trans-national characters involved in it, rather than a case of mistaken identity, as initially claimed by the Kenyan police.
Fact Finding Report on Arshed Sharif murder concludes that transnational roles of characters in Kenya, Dubai and Pakistan in this assassination cannot not be ruled out."It is a case of planned targeted assassination with transnational characters rather than a case of mistaken
— Hasnaat Malik (@HasnaatMalik) December 7, 2022
An Islamabad based female reporter working for a private TV channel posted about (sedition) cases registered against slain journo Arshad Sharif, saying ISPR was like second home of Arshad Sharif and he was too close to Brigadier Shafiq, but after the change of government (in April), some differences developed to the extent that a few cases against him were registered on orders of Brigadier Shafiq.
2/4
فیکٹ فائنڈنگ رپورٹ کے مطابق 27اکتوبر کو ارشد کے وکیل نےبتایاآئی ایس پی آر ارشد کا دوسراگھر تھا،،اور ارشد شریف بریگیڈیئرشفیق کےبہت قریب تھے،حکومت کی تبدیلی کے بعد ارشد شریف کے بریگیڈیئرشفیق سے اختلافات ہوئےاورارشدشریف کیخلاف کچھ مقدمات بریگیڈیئرشفیق کے کہنے پر درج ہوئے— Maryam Nawaz Khan (@maryamnawazkhan) December 7, 2022
A leading journo of Islamabad posted picture of arms allegedly used in the murder of Arshad Sharif.
فیکٹ فائنڈنگ کمیٹی کی رپورٹ کے مطابق ارشد شریف شہید کے قتل میں یہ 2 ہتھیار استعمال ہوئے۔ pic.twitter.com/zCk4lF3atx
— Khurram Iqbal (@khurram143) December 7, 2022
A leading court reporter posted part the copy of the fact finding report, which shows how former PTI leader Faisal Vawda didn’t cooperate with the fact finding team regarding Arshad Sharif’s murder after making tall claims in his presser.
فیصل واڈا تو پریس کانفرنس میں کہہ رہا تھا ارشد شریف قتل کیس میں بہت ثبوت ہیں فیکٹ فائنڈنگ ٹیم کے پوچھنے پر کچھ نہیں بتایا pic.twitter.com/iveVuFSRLd
— Saqib Bashir (@saqibbashir156) December 7, 2022
Below is the full 592-pages fact finding report.
