Court Diary
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has fixed the hearing of the suo moto case regarding the investigation into the killing of journalist Arshad Sharif.
A three-member bench led by Justice Mansoor Ali Shah will hear the case on July 29, with Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan and Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan as part of the bench.
Notices have been issued to the attorney general, FIA director general, Interior Secretary, and IG Islamabad, among others.
On July 8, the Kenyan high court ruled that the killing of Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif was not a result of mistaken identity and ordered legal action against the involved police officers.
The Kenyan court ruled that Arshad Sharif’s killing was unconstitutional and illegal.
The court ordered compensation of Rs21.7 million to be paid to Arshad Sharif’s family.
The Kenyan court also directed criminal proceedings against the police officers and personnel involved in the shooting.
Arshad Sharif was a renowned Pakistani journalist and anchor for a private TV channel. In August 2022, he left Pakistan after several cases were registered against him. Initially, he stayed in the United Arab Emirates for a while before moving to Kenya.
On October 23, 2022, a tragic incident occurred on Magadi Highway in Nairobi, Kenya. He was killed in Kenya in October.
Initially, Kenyan media, citing local police, reported that Arshad Sharif was mistakenly shot and killed by the police due to a case of mistaken identity. Subsequently, conflicting reports emerged regarding the circumstances of his murder, leading the Kenyan police to hold a press conference to clarify the situation.
A year later, in October 2023, his wife filed a petition because she was not being provided with information regarding the investigation or the actions taken against the officers involved in the shooting.
A court in Kenya declared the killing of Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif by police officers 18 months ago as “unlawful.” The court ordered that his widow, Javeria Siddique, be paid 10 million Kenyan shillings (approximately 78,000 USD) as compensation. Meanwhile, in Pakistani courts, a request has been made to form a judicial commission to investigate the journalist Arshad Sharif’s murder.
On July 25, Chief Justice Aamer Farooq of the Islamabad High Court, during a hearing on the case related to Arshad Sharif’s murder, remarked, “Why would a Pakistani be killed by the Kenyan police?”
The hearing on the request to form a judicial commission to investigate the murder of journalist Arshad Sharif was conducted by Chief Justice Aamer Farooq of the Islamabad High Court. During the hearing, the Chief Justice remarked that, according to the IG and SJIT, their hands are tied because the evidence is in Kenya.
The court inquired from the Additional Attorney General about the government’s stance on forming a commission. He responded that this case involves two foreign countries and one Pakistan. Access to other countries can only be granted through MLA (Mutual Legal Assistance).
The Chief Justice asked whether a commission could be formed regarding the local aspect of the case. The federal government has to form the commission and should provide details about it.
The Additional Attorney General mentioned that the matter of the commission was also before the Supreme Court. The court questioned what the objection to this was, stating that investigations must be conducted eventually, even if not today, then after ten years.
The police officials informed the court that there would be complications because the main suspect is in Kenya, making it difficult to proceed without them.
The Chief Justice inquired about the purpose of the judicial commission, asking whether it was to submit a challan. The judicial commission is supposed to conduct an inquiry, and its report should be published. The Chief Justice told the IG’s lawyer, “You are trying to be more loyal than the king. Why would a Pakistani citizen be killed by the Kenyan police?”
The court then adjourned the hearing until August 6 and summoned authorized officers from the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Law for the next hearing.
