SC orders new independent JIT to probe Arshad Sharif’s murder

ISLAMABAD, Dec 07 (NNI): Hours after the Islamabad police notified a JIT, the Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected it directing the government to form a new Joint Investigation Team comprising intelligence officials to probe the killing of journalist Arshad Sharif’s murder.
A five-judge larger SC bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial and comprising Justice Ijazul Ahsan, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhel, Justice Mazahir Ali Akbar Naqvi and Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar held a suo motu hearing on the Arshad Sharif murder case.
During the hearing, the court was told that the Islamabad IG police formed a five-member JIT to probe journalist Arshad Sharif’s murder and named DIG headquarters as its chairman.
Rejecting the Islamabad IG’s JIT, the SC ordered the government to form a new JIT and sought a report on the progress of the new JIT by tomorrow.
CJP Bandial remarked that the federal government should immediately form a new independent investigation team whose members should not have any connections with any influential person.
Arshad Sharif’s mother Riffat Ara Alvi and his widow were present during the hearing. Besides them, the FIA director general, information secretary and the Islamabad police chief were also present in the court.
At the outset of the hearing, the interior ministry presented the fact-finding report. The first information report (FIR) registered on Tuesday of the journalist’s killing was also presented.
As Arshad Sharif’s mother came to the rostrum, she broke down. She said in her application, she mentioned the names of all those people who murdered her son.
Chief Justice of Pakistan Bandial told her that ‘we are fulfilling our responsibility’.  She said she only wanted that no one would meet the same fate as her son had met.  She told the court that Arshad Sharif had been receiving threats that they would come close to him and they would not let him live.
The chief justice of Pakistan ordered to start the probe from Waqar and Khurram (Arshad Sharif’s hosts in Kenya). He also ordered to record the statement of Arshad’s mother.  However, the CJP said that it was a criminal matter and there was no need to form a judicial commission.
Additional Attorney General Aamir Rehman told the court that the investigation team had got information from the Kenyan authorities. NNI