PIMS director confirms torture marks on Arshad Sharif’s body

ISLAMABAD: Director Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), Dr Khalid Masood, has confirmed torture marks on body of senior journalist Arshad Sharif, ARY News reported.

It is pertinent to mention here that pictures of torture on Arshad Sharif’s body were leaked on social media, suggesting that the senior journalist was brutally tortured before death.

Director PIMS Dr Khalid Masood has confirmed the development while talking to a private news channel. The pictures were leaked from PIMS hospital, and we have launched an investigation into the matter,” the PIMS director claimed.

Dr Khalid further claimed that almost 12 torture marks were found on the slain journalist’s body, while Sharif’s four fingernails were removed. “The case is sensitive, apparently, I also feel he was tortured,” the director added.

Meanwhile, he claimed, they have not yet received report of the post-mortem conducted in Kenya. “The autopsy report is the right of Arshad Sharif’s family, we will provide it to them,” he added.

“Legally, we have provided the initial autopsy report to the concerned police station”, Dr Khalid said, adding that the final report has not yet finalised, which will be provided to the police.

It is pertinent to mention here that Arshad Sharif was shot dead in Kenya by the local police on Sunday night along the Nairobi-Magadi highway in a “mistaken identity case”. The official police statement later expressing “regrets on the unfortunate incident” and saying an investigation was underway.

According to Kenyan media, Arshad Sharif was shot in the head and killed by police after he and his driver allegedly breached a roadblock.

Detailing the incident, the Kenyan media quoting the police said that the manned roadblock had received information to intercept a car similar to the one, Arshad Sharif and his driver were in, following a carjacking incident in Nairobi in which a child was allegedly taken hostage.