The Supreme Court's seven-member constitutional bench, headed by Justice Aminuddin Khan, adjourned the suo motu case on the murder of journalist Arshad Sharif for an indefinite period on Monday.
According to the 24NewsHD TV Channel, the federal government requested additional time to submit a report concerning mutual legal cooperation. The Supreme Court granted the request and deferred the hearing.
During the proceedings, the additional attorney general assured the court that the report would be submitted by tomorrow. Following this assurance, the bench accepted the government’s plea and postponed the hearing. The Supreme Court had taken suo motu notice of the high-profile murder case.
On October 23, 2022, Arshad Sharif was tragically killed by Kenyan police on the Magadi Highway near Nairobi. Investigations have since highlighted contradictions in the statements and actions of the Kenyan police.
It is worth mentioning here that Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Amir Farooq has reserved the decision on the petition seeking the formation of a judicial commission to investigate the murder of Arshad Sharif, reported the 24NewsHD TV channel on August 27, 2024.
As per the channel report, during the IHC hearing of the case, Attorney General Mansoor Awan submitted that efforts are underway for a mutual legal agreement with the Kenyan government.
What progress can be made after the mutual legal agreement? Chief Justice Amir Farooq questioned. People related to Arshad Sharif's murder are in Kenya, the attorney general replied. The attorney general further submitted that the person who picked Arshad up from the airport and who was present at the time of the incident is also in Kenya.
Even if a judicial commission is formed, it will not be given access in Kenya, and Kenyan authorities will not be bound to appear before the commission, the attorney general submitted. If an agreement is reached with Kenya, will it be for providing evidence? Chief Justice Amir Farooq inquired.
Yesterday, the High Court gave a decision regarding the cases filed against Arshad Sharif across the country, and in its verdict, the court remarked that Arshad Sharif was harassed by public authorities and agencies, Counsel for petitioner Shoaib Razaq replied.
A journalist was killed, and everyone knows what the circumstances were that Arshad Sharif had to leave the country, the lawyer argued. Arshad Sharif firmly believed that he did not leave the country; he did not even have a visa, his lawyer said.
Pertinent to mention here too is that on September 10, 2024, a District and Sessions Court in Lahore rejected a petition seeking to register a case against the leadership of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in connection with the murder of journalist Arshad Sharif.
Additional Sessions Judge Rana Mujahid Rahim issued the written decision, citing that the case of Arshad Sharif's murder is already under consideration by the Supreme Court and being pursued by Sharif's family.
The court ruled that the petitioner, Shakir Ali, does not have the authority to bypass the family's ongoing case and file a new one. The decision noted that newspaper clippings and letters presented by the petitioner do not establish the involvement of the PML-N leadership in Sharif's murder.
The judgement also stated that if the petitioner is an eyewitness, he could join the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) investigation.
Reporter: Amanat Gishkori