CJP regrets over no progress in Arshad Sharif murder case

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) on Friday regretted over no-progress in the Arshad Sharif murder case, ARY News reported.

The senior journalist and former ARY News anchor, was killed in the Kenyan capital Nairobi on October 23 where he was living in self-exile.

A five-member larger bench led by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Umar Ata Bandial heard the suo moto case of senior journalist Arshad Sharif’s assassination.

Other members of the bench are Justice Ijaz-ul-Ahsan, Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail and Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar.

At the outset of the hearing, Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui, the lawyer of Arshad Sharif’s mother said his client wants to move to court for registration of FIR. “She cannot lodge her complaint as per desire.”

Aziz said the deceased’s mother has the right to register FIR as she wants, the case can be quashed if proven wrong, he added. The mother of Arshad Sharif has reservations about the proceedings of SC, Aziz said.

CJP said the SC took suo moto notice of the matter after five weeks. “We are not supervising the probe, but facilitating the probe.”

Read more: Arshad Sharif case: Supreme Court rejects JIT report

The JIT was not being provided with funds for Kenya, and UAE visits to probe, the government released the funds on SC’s intervention, the CJP added.

CJP said the court took notice to ensure the fundamental rights of journalists as Arshad Sharif was a journalist and citizen of Pakistan.

Justice Ijazul Ahsan said the suo moto notice was not meant to punish anyone, but it is only to facilitate the probe in the Arshad Sharif murder case.

“SC is not intervening in the JIT probe.”

Justice Jamal Mandokhel remarked is the deceased’s mother thinks the five judges cannot provide her justice.

Later, the hearing of the case was adjourned for three weeks.