SC Adjourns Hearing Of Journalist Arshad Sharif's Murder Case Till July

The Supreme Court on Tuesday adjourned the hearing of renowned journalist Arshad Sharif's murder case till the first week of July

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 13th Jun, 2023 ) :The Supreme Court on Tuesday adjourned the hearing of renowned journalist Arshad Sharif's murder case till the first week of July.

A five-member larger bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial and comprising Justice Ijaz Ul Ahsan, Justice Sayyad Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail and Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar heard the suo moto notice case.

During the course of proceedings, the Attorney General for Pakistan appeared before the bench and submitted the report of the Special joint investigation team (JIT). The report of the Special JIT was delayed due to certain reasons, he added.

He said that contacts with Interpol were ongoing.

The Chief Justice said that according to the Interior Ministry, the case could not proceed further until the signing of the Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) agreement.

Justice Naqvi asked what was the reason that the Kenyan authorities had cooperated with the fact-finding committee but not with the special JIT? The AGP said that Kenya's High Commission on June 9 had stated that the signing of MLA was a must. Kenya had sent a draft which was being shared with various institutions, he added.

He said that he would inform the court about the draft in-chamber. A lot had changed since the fact-finding report was published, he added.

Justice Mazahar said that Section 3 of the Act did not prohibit cooperation from the Government of Kenya.

The Chief Justice asked why the fact-finding report was issued. Arshad Sharif's widow had cited various international laws in her report, he added.

He asked the counsel for Javeria Siddique widow of Arshad Sharif what was the procedure for access to international laws? The Attorney General said that the Kenyan government had stated about the agreement and there was no choice without this MLA agreement.

The Chief Justice asked was the investigation team's visit to Kenya a futile exercise.

He said that there was no progress in the investigation. The leak of the fact-finding report was also unfortunate as he was surprised to see the report on the electronic media, he added.

He said that the crime committed was very serious as the killing of a journalist was a concern for the whole world. It was necessary to ascertain the reason for the murder of Arshad Sharif, he added.

He said that journalists were the eyes and ears of society. There had been no progress in the murder of Arshad Sharif, he added.

Advocate Saad Butr said that international conventions can be used if no agreement was reached with Kenya.

The Chief Justice asked the journalists to take into account the seriousness of the matter and exercise caution in reporting.

He said that the UN resolutions mentioned mutual legal assistance with Kenya.

Saad Butr said an application could be made under the United Nations Forum and could be sent to the concerned country for investigation.

He said that Jamal Khashoggi's murder was also being investigated under this law.

If a request was sent to the committee by the government, it would have more impact, he added.

The Chief Justice said that the court itself could not decide on them. The court would ask the Attorney General to review the report and assist the court, he added.