ISLAMABAD: The murder case of journalist Arshad Sharif was remanded to the three-judge committee established by the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Act, 2023 by the Supreme Court on Monday, with the aim of resolving it before a five-judge panel.
Although a five-judge larger bench had heard the case earlier, Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah, who was presiding over a three-judge bench, pointed out that the case had been fixed before the smaller panel.
Given that Justices Jamal Khan Mandokhail and Mohammad Ali Mazhar had previously served on the larger bench, he noted that the matter will be scheduled for hearing based on the judges’ availability.
The suo motu investigation into the terrible death of the journalist in Kenya was started by former Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial.
Mansoor Usman Awan, Pakistan’s attorney general, informed the court on Monday that a draft of the Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) was available. The purpose of the MLA is to request official support from the Kenyan government so that they can obtain suspects connected to the terrible killing of Arshad Sharif.
The AGP stated that the MLA draft was anticipated to be approved at the upcoming cabinet meeting.
Additionally, the AGP informed the court during the most recent hearing on June 13, 2023, that a proper MLA was being drafted and that the cabinet will ultimately approve the final document.
The AGP responded in the yes when the court inquired as to whether a decision from the Kenyan court had also been received.
The Kenyan High Court in Kajiado declared three weeks ago that it was illegal for Kenyan law enforcement agents to assassinate Pakistani Arshad Sharif in 2022.
However, the SC stated that the court will not address the case’s merits at this time.
Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui reminded the court during the hearing that he had also filed an application on the journalist’s mother’s behalf. The court ought to summon anyone who assert that they know who killed the victim, he said. He reminded the court of its commitment to act as the “facilitator” in this case.
The attorney also asked the court to reschedule the hearing for two weeks, but Justice Shah noted that this would depend on the judges’ availability.
But after that, the hearing was postponed indefinitely.
