Five-member larger SC bench headed by CJP hears suo motu notice of Arshad Sharif murder case.
Register FIR of Arshad Sharif’s murder by tonight, SC orders. The Supreme Court (SC) ordered on Tuesday the government to register an FIR in the Arshad Sharif murder case by tonight. It also declared the medical report of the slain journalist “unsatisfactory”.
The apex court’s order came during a five-member bench hearing headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial. Apart from the CJP, the bench included justices Ijaz Ul Ahsan, Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi and Muhammad Ali Mazhar.
Additional Attorney-general (AAG) Aamir Rehman, interior secretary and other senior officials appeared before the court.
More From FactFile: CJP Umar Ata Bandial takes suo motu notice of journalist Arshad Sharif’s murder
During the hearing, the CJP questioned why the report of a fact-finding committee formed after the journalist’s murder is yet to be submitted.
The CJP said that the interior ministry should have submitted the report last Friday, but did not do so. “Should the interior minister be summoned? Where is the interior minister?” the CJP asked.
At this, the AAG told the court that he will present the report of the fact-finding committee by tomorrow (Wednesday).
The CJP expressed his displeasure on the assurance of the AAG and said that wasting time in investigation matters is not the job of the SC, but the government.
“Arshad Sharif was a renowned journalist, why was he killed and why abroad? Pakistan has vast resources to conduct affairs abroad and access to foreign countries,” the CJP remarked.
