Islamabad court issues non-bailable arrest warrants for Arshad Sharif's wife

ISLAMABAD: In a surprising move, a local court in the federal capital issued on Saturday non-bailable arrest warrants for Somiya Arshad, the widow of senior journalist Arshad Sharif, ARY News reported on Saturday.

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

The warrants were issued against Somiya Arshad and 18 others by Judicial Magistrate Abbas Shah over their non-appearance before court as witnesses in the Arshad Sharif murder case.

Arshad Sharif’s wife, son, producer Ali Usman and 16 others are among the witnesses in the FIR registered on behalf of the state into the murder of senior journalist Arshad Sharif.

As per the slain journalist’s family, the FIR was registered on behalf of state not at the request of Arshad’s family and they already rejected the FIR.

Reacting to non-bailable arrest warrant, Aleeza Arshad, the daughter of slain journalist Arshad Sharif criticized the judicial system saying that the system is targeting the appressed.

Non bailable arrest warrants have been issued against my mother, Somiya Arshad. Ye kaisa nizam hai jahan mazloom ko hi kataihray main khara kiya ja raha hai#ArshadShareefShaheed #ArshadSharif #SomiyaArshad

— Aleeza Arshad (@aleezasherryy) September 9, 2023

Senior journalist Iqrarul Hassan lambasted the judicial magistrate saying that the entire nation should openly condemn the recklessness and indifference of the judicial magistrate who issued the arrest warrant of Arshad Sharif Shaheed’s wife Somiya Arshad, without fearing that Contempt of court action will be taken against them.

ارشد شریف شہید کی اہلیہ سمعیہ ارشد کے وارنٹ گرفتاری جاری کرنے والے جوڈیشل مجسٹریٹ نے جس بے ضمیری اور بے حسی بلکہ بے غیرتی کا مظاہرہ کیا ہے اس پر پوری قوم کر کھُل کر اس کی مذمت کرنی چاہئے، اس بات سے بے خوف ہو کر کہ ہمارے خلاف توہین عدالت کی کارروائی ہو گی۔۔۔ ہم حاضر ہیں۔

— Iqrar ul Hassan Syed (@iqrarulhassan) September 9, 2023

President Pakistan Federal Union of Journalist (PFUJ) Afzal Butt said that this defamatory behavior against the heirs and associates of Arshad Sharif Shaheed is intolerable and condemnable. We stand with Sharif’s family and will strongly resist if there is any retaliation.

ارشد شریف شہید کے ورثا اور ساتھیوں کیخلاف یہ ہتک آمیز سلوک ناقابل برداشت اور قابل مذمت ہے۔ ارشد شریف کے خاندان کے ساتھ کھڑے ہیں ، اگر کوئی انتقامی کارروائی ہوئی تو بھرپور مزاحمت کریں گے۔ https://t.co/tmBvK2hsa8

— Afzal Butt (@Afzalbutt01) September 9, 2023

Earlier, Kenyan investigative journalist Brian Obuya raised concerns over the delay in the probe findings into the senior journalist Arshad Sharif murder case.

Brian Obuya said that the investigators have spent a very long time completing the probe into the Arshad Sharif murder case.

He criticised that neither any report was issued after the probe into the journalist’s assassination case nor the names of the accused Kenyan policemen were disclosed.