Supreme Court delists Arshad Sharif’s murder case

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) of Pakistan on Thursday delisted the murder case of senior journalist Arshad Sharif, who was assassinated in Kenya, due to the unavailability of bench, ARY News reported.

According to a notification issued by Supreme Court’s Registrar Office, the SC notifies all concerned Advocates/Advocate-on-Record and concerned parties that Arshad Sharif’s murder case listed on 10/3/2023 is delisted due to non-availability of requisite bench.

A five-member bench – headed by the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial – was scheduled to hear the murder case tomorrow (Friday).

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.

The five-judge SC bench had initiated suo motu proceedings to ensure transparent and independent investigation into the journalist’s murder.

A day earlier, it was reported that the special Joint Investigation Team (JIT) formed to probe the murder of senior journalist Arshad Sharif submitted its report to the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP).

According to the report, the investigation into Arshad Sharif’s killing was still ongoing while Pakistani and foreign witnesses’ statements are being recorded. The JIT will soon undertake visits to Kenya and London, say sources.

As per the Supreme Court directions, the JIT is bound to submit a fortnightly report about development in the case to the apex court.

Arshad Sharif’s assassination

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.