CJP Umar Ata Bandial takes suo motu notice of journalist Arshad Sharif's murder

By Muhammad JuniadPublished On 06 Jan 2023

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial on Tuesday took suo motu notice of the murder of journalist Arshad Sharif in Kenya with a larger bench scheduled to take up the case shortly.

“The journalist community in the country and the public at large are deeply distressed and concerned about the death of the senior journalist and are seeking the court's scrutiny of the matter,” said the apex court in a statement announcing the suo motu action.

The court said that the CJP has 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.

The statement said that the apex court will hear the case today at 12:30 pm before a five-member larger bench headed by the CJP.

PTI has constantly asked the Supreme Court to look into Sharif's death. 

While PM Shehbaz has also written to the CJP for the formation of a judicial commission to investigate Sharif's killing. A demand also made by the slain journalist's mother. 

Sharif was killed on the night of October 23 in Kenya by the Kenyan GSU officers as he was being driven to Nairobi.

The Kenyan police has claimed that the journalist was shot in a case of mistaken identity.

The government had formed a two-member team, including FIA and IB officials, to probe the murder. The team had travelled to Kenya and UAE.

Last month, FIA had told a Senate committee that it is preparing a report following the return of the investigation team from Kenya.