Murad Saeed raises questions regarding Arshad Sharif’s murder

PESHAWAR: Former federal minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Murad Saeed has raised important questions regarding the killing of senior journalist Arshad Sharif in Kenya, ARY News reported on Sunday.

“On whose directives, cases were registered against Arshad Sharif? Who was threatening him? Who forced him to leave United Arab Emirates (UAE)? Which important personalities visited UAE between August 10 and 20?” the PTI leader asked while addressing a press conference in Peshawar.

Murad Saeed noted that it was being reported that Arshad Sharif’s laptop was in his possession and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had summoned him in this regard. “No progress was made in the investigation in the past one month,” he alleged.

“The investigation committee – which visited Kenya to probe Arshad Sharif’s killing – should have recovered the things,” he said, lambasting the committee for its ‘responsibility’ and ‘traveling on public tax money’.

“Arshad Sharif’s mother urged Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) to constitute a judicial commission. Even the journalist, during his life, urged for a commission to investigate the cases registered against him but no action was taken,” he added.

Murad Saeed also lambasted the journalist community for not raising voice against the ‘injustice’ against the slain journalist. “No one raised voice for Arshad Sharif when he was facing a difficult time”, he added.

He called on Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to stop playing ‘media games’ and answers his questions. “When they will find the answers to my questions, they would identify the killers,” he added.

Speaking of party chairman Imran Khan’s movement, Murad said that the former prime minister had always wanted real freedom. “Pakistan is a sovereign country and cannot enslave anyone”, he noted.

A day earlier, a fact-finding committee, constituted to investigate the killing of senior journalist Arshad Sharif, believes that the laptop of ARY News anchor was in possession of PTI leader Murad Saeed.

The fact-finding committee has penned down a letter to Murad Saeed, summoning the PTI leader on November 28 (Monday).

“During the investigation, it has come on record that you are in possession of Apple MacBook of Arshad Sharif,” stated the letter, requesting Murad Saeed to provide the device to ascertain the facts regarding the journalist’s assassination.

“If you have any other evidence, provide it to the probe team along with the MacBook,” the committee wrote to the PTI leader.

Arshad Sharif’s killing

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

Kenyan police first said that Arshad Sharif was killed in a case of “mistaken identity” but since the seasoned journalist’s post-mortem and his body’s transfer to his home country, several Kenyan news outlets have not only questioned the police’s conduct but have raised questions over the manner in which he was killed.