In letter to CJP, Shehbaz lobs volley of questions in Arshad Sharif killing case

• What procedure did Arshad Sharif adopt to go abroad in August 2022? Who facilitated Arshad Sharif to go abroad?
• Was any federal or provincial intelligence agency, institute or department aware about any threat to Arshad Sharif’s life?
• If the victim was aware of a life threat then what preventive measures did he adopt?

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday penned a letter to Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial requesting him to constitute a judicial commission to unearth truth in the murder case of senior journalist and Bol News Anchorperson Arshad Sharif in Kenya.

He requested the top judge to form the full court commission comprising all the Supreme Court judges. The letter mentioned that six questions could specially be mulled by the court: what procedure did Arshad Sharif adopt to go abroad in August 2022? Who facilitated Arshad Sharif to go abroad? Was any federal or provincial intelligence agency, institute or department aware about any threat to Arshad Sharif’s life? If Arshad Sharif was aware of a life threat then what preventive measures did he adopt? What circumstances and causes coerced Arshad Sharif to go to Kenya from the United Arab Emirates? What’s the reality behind the firing incident in which he died?

The prime minister said it was necessary to find out if death of Arshad Sharif was really a matter of misidentification or a consequence of a criminal game. He said if was mandatory to form a commission for the rule of law in the country.

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In the letter, PM Shehbaz said the government immediately sent a team of seasoned investigation officers after the tragic incident of the journalist’s death. Investigation into the journalist’s contacts before leaving for Kenya was also essential, he added.

He said the federal government had formed a commission comprising retired judges of the Lahore High Court. He said mother of the slain anchorperson had also filed a petition with the SC and he fully supported it.

The letter mentioned that suspicions were cast on the centre and state institutions in the murder case. “To maintain trust of the masses, it is necessary to form the top court commission. Loss is feared in the long run, if an impartial body does not investigate the matter,” he said.