ISLAMABAD: Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC) fixed journalist Arshad Sharif’s killing suo motu case for hearing on January 5. A five-member larger bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial will hear case on January 5 while registrar of apex court has also issued notices to parties.

On December 5, Supreme Court while taking suo moto notice of Arshad’s killing in Kenya and remarked that journalist community in country and public at large are deeply distressed and are concerned about death of senior journalist and are seeking court’s scrutiny of matter. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif have penned separate letters to CJP asking him to conduct an independent judicial inquiry into killing of journalist. Arshad Sharif was allegedly killed by Kenyan police after he and his driver had driven through police checkpoint in outskirts of Nairobi.

However, an autopsy showed that Arshad Sharif was shot from far too close range compared to what was being claimed by Kenyan police. Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah also said journalist Arshad Sharif was killed in “targeted attack”, stating that no evidence was found to support narrative that he was shot dead in case of “mistaken identity”.

Published in The Daily National Courier, January, 03 2023

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