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The federal government on Thursday submitted to the Supreme Court of Pakistan the members of a new joint investigation team (JIT) formed to probe the murder of journalist Arshad Sharif.
A day earlier, the apex court had rejected a previously formed JIT, directing the government to constitute an “independent” team with the participation of intelligence agencies and police. In today’s hearing, the government unveiled the new JIT, comprising DIG Islamabad Owais Ahmed; FIA Cybercrime Director Waqaruddin Syed; Sajid Kayani of the Intelligence Bureau; Murtaza Afzal of the Military Intelligence; and Mohammad Aslam from the Inter-Services Intelligence.
Commencing proceedings, Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial—who is heading a five-member larger bench hearing the suo motu case—said the court did not wish to interfere in any administrative matters pending the completion of the investigation. Additional Attorney General (AAG) Chaudhry Amir Rehman then informed the larger bench that the JIT had been directed to commence its work immediately and record the statement of the slain journalist’s mother. “The JIT will probe all the relevant persons in Pakistan and then start investigations in Kenya,” he added.
To the bench’s queries on how long the investigation might take, the AAG said this depended on the level of assistance provided by Kenyan authorities. Keeping this in mind, the CJP directed the JIT to submit a progress report every two weeks, stressing the probe should be fair and transparent, and asked its members to inform the court in writing if they faced any hurdles to their work.
During proceedings, the court also asked whether the people named in the FIR would surrender of their own accord and advised the JIT to use the option of mutual legal cooperation between Pakistan and Kenya. It said if the accused did not appear willingly, legal action could be taken against them.
Justice Ijazul Ahsan noted the people named in the FIR could only be brought back through Interpol. “Once the JIT spins into action, it can contact the agency,” he said.
The case was then adjourned till the first week of January.
Earlier this week, CJP Bandial took suo motu notice of the murder of Arshad Sharif in Kenya on Oct. 23, noting that the crime had greatly distressed the general public as well as the journalist community of Pakistan. At the time of the killing, Kenyan authorities had claimed Sharif was shot dead in a case of mistaken identity. However, subsequent investigations have questioned the accuracy of this claim and suggested Sharif was shot dead in a targeted attack.