Web Desk (LTN NEWS): Tuesday, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) told the government to keep journalist bodies on board. At the same time, it looks into the death of journalist Arshad Sharif, who was reportedly killed two days ago by Kenyan police.
Sharif was shot dead in Kenya on Sunday night, allegedly by the local police. An official police statement later said they “regretted the unfortunate incident” and were looking into what happened.
At first, Kenyan media reported that police killed Sharif because they thought he was someone else.
Yesterday, a petition was sent to the IHC, asking the court to form a judicial commission to investigate why the journalist was forced to flee Pakistan and then the United Arab Emirates. This was done in response to widespread criticism and condolences. On the same day, the court accepted the plea.
The trial
At the hearing for this case today, IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah said he came to court just for this case.
“Did anyone go to see the hurt family? Justice Minallah asked, “Do they need any [legal] help?” He then reminded the government of the court’s previous orders, which told government officials to visit the family of the murdered journalist.
Shoaib Razzaq wrote the petition and said that the dead journalist’s body would get home today. He asked the court again to set up a judicial commission to look into the death of Sharif.
Justice Minallah said that journalist groups should be kept in the loop about the investigation and that putting together a commission at this point would not help anything.
Read US wants Kenya to thoroughly investigate Arshad Sharif’s death
Deputy Attorney General Syed Ahsan Raza Shah said that what happened was sad and that the Kenyan government was being asked for a report.
“Once we get the report from the Kenyan government, we will listen to the petitioner’s concerns if he has any,” he told the court.
After hearing what both sides had to say, the court put the hearing off for a week.
The petition asked the court to form a commission of judges to investigate why the journalist had to leave Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates.
The petition said, “The judicial commission could also be told to work with national and Kenyan agencies to look into the heinous act that led to Arshad Sharif’s unjustified murder in cold blood.”
It also asked the court to tell the journalist’s body to be brought back to Pakistan.
Early tomorrow morning, the body will arrive.
In a statement, the Foreign Office said, “The dead journalist’s body is being brought back from Nairobi tonight on a flight that leaves Nairobi at 1:25am and goes to Doha.”
“The next flight will leave Doha at 1:35 pm on October 25 and land in Islamabad at 1:05 pm tomorrow night,” the FO said.
It said that Pakistan’s High Commissioner Saqlain Syeda was in charge of things at the Nairobi airport.
Thanks for sharing. I read many of your blog posts, cool, your blog is very good. https://www.binance.info/es-MX/register-person?ref=JHQQKNKN