ISLAMABAD: The mother of Arshad Sharif has sought a directive from the Supreme Court to the Special Joint Investigation Team (SJIT) constituted to probe the journalist’s murder, requiring it to investigate five individuals, including former prime minister Imran Khan.

The four other individuals named in an application filed by Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui on behalf of Mr Sharif’s mother on Thursday are Murad Saeed and Faisal Vawda, ministers in the erstwhile PTI government, Salman Iqbal of ARY network, and anchorperson Imran Riaz Khan.

Headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial, a five-judge Supreme Court bench will resume suo motu hearing into Arshad Sharif’s murder on June 13.

The application argued that since the five individuals had made “claims with all certainty” about the assassination, they need to join the investigation so that the “real perpetrators” were unearthed.

Through a separate application, the counsel requested the court to order that copies of a fact-finding report and other reports placed by the SJIT before the apex court be given to the applicant.

If this was not feasible, Shaukat Siddiqui suggested, the applicant be given access to these reports and permitted to take notes.

“Being the mother of the deceased journalist, the applicant feels that the investigation into the case has to be

conducted and proceeded within Pakistan at the first instance where the conspiracy to kill her son was hatched,” the counsel stated

It is a matter of record that many persons have been claiming that they knew about the persons who were involved in the conspiracy to murder Arshad Sharif, the counsel said.

Since the applicant has no access to the fact-finding inquiry report and other reports submitted by SJIT, she is in the dark about the persons who have joined in the investigation, the application added.

Published in Dawn, June 9th, 2023