Islamabad: Supreme Court directed government to constitute new special joint investigation team (JIT) comprising intelligence officials to probe killing of journalist Arshad Sharif in Kenya.

Apex court issued directives while hearing suo motu case on Sharif’s killing. Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial said JIT should include officials from Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Intelligence Bureau (IB), Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and police.

SC said that first information report (FIR) of case, which was registered day earlier, was brief as an investigation had not taken place and there were no eyewitnesses. Court directed government to issue notification and inform it about members of JIT by today, adding that probe should be conducted by senior officers.

Members of JIT should also be experts in understanding case and gathering evidence from other countries, court said. It also asked foreign affairs ministry to assist JIT in collecting evidence. “Court has not formed judicial commission as it is criminal case,” CJP Bandial observed during hearing, adding that investigation should begin from Khurram and Waqar, two men Sharif was in contact with in Kenya.

Ahead of today’s hearing, copy of report compiled by fact-finding committee was also submitted. Report is 592 pages long and bears signatures of FIA Director Muhammad Athar Waheed and Intelligence Bureau Deputy Director General Omar Shahid Hamid.

Published in The Daily National Courier, December, 08 2022

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