ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court expressed concern over the leak of the Fact-Finding (FF) report of the prominent journalist Arshad Sharif’s murder before it was submitted to the Court.
A bench headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial and comprising Justice Ijazul Ahsan, Justice Jamal Mandokhail, Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi, and Justice Mohammad Ali Mazhar, on Tuesday, heard suo moto on the brutal murder of Arshad Sharif.
The chief justice inquired from the attorney general who had provided the FF report to the TV channels, adding; “I myself had seen the report on the national TV a day before it was handed over to the court.” The report was made public with the cooperation of someone at high level. He said this is not a simple matter, but upsetting. The chief justice noted that 700-page report was released to the public by someone whose custody it was.
AGP Usman Mansoor Awan said the report shown on the TV was not original. He said forensic report has proved it was not original. He said that a member of the Fact-Finding himself told that the FF report was given to the media by the family of Arshad Sharif.
The chief justice questioned whether someone has probed, who had provided the report to the journalist, which run certain pages of the report on the TV channels. The attorney general said after the broadcasting of the report on TV channels the Kenyan government was reluctant to cooperate with Pakistani authorities.
He said that last week, Foreign Office officials met with the Kenyan ambassador in Pakistan. He said the members of the Special Joint Investigation Team (SJIT) will visit Kenya from May 17.
Justice Mazahar said: “We have serious reservations as in the last three months nothing has happened, except the reports.” He told the AGP to issue a red warrant of two Pakistanis, Khurram and Waqar, bring them back and conduct an investigation.
The chief justice said: Do not give us the report without attaching the relevant documents. Justice Mazhar asked the attorney general to file copy of the Red Warrant, the prosecution report of two Kenyan police officers, who were present at the crime scene.
The attorney general told that Kenyan authorities have started the trial of the two policemen. He said the AGP Office will designate a person to coordinate with the prosecution team in Kenya. The case was adjourned until June 13.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023
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