PM Shehbaz slams Imran Khan for 'casting aspersions on institutions'

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif slammed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan for casting aspersions on the state institutions in the killing of senior journalist and former ARY News anchorperson Arshad Sharif, ARY News reported on Wednesday.

Taking to his official Twitter handle, the prime minister said Imran Khan was playing a “dangerous game” by using senior journalist Arshad Sharif’s killing for petty politics and casting aspersions on the state institutions.

Imran Niazi is playing a dangerous game. He is using tragic killing of Arshad Sharif for petty politics & going to the extent of casting aspersions on state institutions. He should be patient & wait for findings of Judicial Commission instead of resorting to baseless allegations.

— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) October 26, 2022

“He [Imran] is using tragic killing of Arshad Sharif for petty politics and going to the extent of casting aspersions on state institutions,” the prime minister wrote on Twitter, prior to concluding his visit to Saudi Arabia.

The prime minister urged the PTI Chairman to be patient and wait for findings of Judicial Commission instead of resorting to baseless allegations.

A day earlier, PTI Chairman Imran Khan asserted that he had asked slain journalist Arshad Sharif to leave the country after receiving information that anchorperson would be killed, ARY News reported on Tuesday.

Addressing a lawyers’ convention in Peshawar today, the former premier called Arshad Sharif a ‘martyr’ and said the slain journalists was victim of ‘targeted killing’.

“Sharif knew his life was in danger and was repeatedly getting threats. I told him to back down but he wasn’t scared and then lastly, this targeted killing. No matter what anyone says, I know that Arshad Sharif became a victim of target killing,” Imran Khan claimed.

Paying tribute to the slain journalist, the PTI Chairman said that Sharif exposed these two families (Sharif and Zardari families) in every programme with proof but no one could scare or buy him.

It is pertinent to mention here that the federal government reshuffled the number of a high-level investigation team from three to two, which was formed to ascertain the facts related to the murder of senior journalist Arshad Sharif in Kenya.

The interior ministry issued a notification stating that now a two-member team instead of three will go to Kenya to investigate the matter.

According to the notification, FIA, Athar Waheed and Umar Shahid Hamid of the Intelligence Bureau are included in the team.

GHQ seeks formation of committee

In a letter to the federal government, the General Headquarters (GHQ), a command center of land forces of Pakistan sought the formation of a commission to probe the murder of the senior journalist.

As per details, the General Headquarters (GHQ) has sought the formation of a probe commission to ascertain the facts behind the killing of Arshad Sharif in Nairobi by the Kenyan police.

The GHQ has urged the government to take action as per law against those who are leveling baseless allegations