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ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Friday scheduled a hearing on the assassination of senior journalist Arshad Sharif on May 9.
The case will be heard next week by a five-member bigger bench led by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Umar Ata Bandial.
Justices Ijaz-ul-Ahsan, Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi, Jamal Khan Mandokhail, and Muhammad Ali Mazhar also sit on the bench.
Suo motu proceedings were begun by the five-judge SC bench to enable a transparent and independent probe into the journalist’s murder.
During a recent hearing, the Supreme Court hinted at the formation of a judicial panel to investigate the murder of senior journalist Arshad Sharif.
Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui, counsel for Arshad Sharif’s family, objected to the court proceedings, claiming that the Supreme Court can oversee and probe matters involving basic rights but cannot monitor the JIT’s inquiry.
According to the court, the Attorney General told the court of the Kenyan side’s bilateral cooperation, but they did not respond to the legal cooperation with Pakistani officials.
Assassination of Arshad Sharif
On October 23, the veteran journalist was assassinated in Nairobi, Kenya, where he was living in self-exile.
Kenyan police initially stated that Arshad Sharif was killed in a case of “mistaken identity,” but following the post-mortem and transfer of his body to his home country, several Kenyan news outlets have not only questioned the police’s conduct but also the manner in which he was killed.
