The Government has sought more time from the Supreme Court to ratify a mutual legal assistance agreement with Kenya in the case of murder of journalist Arshad Sharif, since the Constitutional Bank assumed the hearing on Friday.
Sharif was shot in the head when Kenya’s police opened fire against her car in October 2022. He had left Pakistan in August 2022 after multiple cases of sedition were recorded against him in different cities.
In August last year, the former president of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, Qazi Faez Isa, had explained that the case of murder of Arshad Sharif did not set before a larger bank of judges, since no constitutional interpretation required.
In July, the Superior Court had sent the case to the Tres Judges Committee constituted under the Law of the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure), 2023 to re -set it before a bank of five judges.
The Suo Moto on Friday was assumed by a constitutional bank of six members headed by Judge Aminuddin Khan.
At the beginning of the hearing, the federal government sought more time to ratify the Mutual Legal Assistance Agreement with Kenya.
Additional attorney general AAMIR Rehman informed the Court that a mutual legal assistance agreement with Kenya has been signed, the process of ratification of the agreement was underway.
He added that the document would be ratified by the president within a month.
The members of the Constitutional Bank raised questions about the slow progress of the case.
Judge Hassan Azhar Rizvi asked why the agreement had not yet been ratified if signed on December 10 last year.
While heading to AAG, Judge Jamal Khan Commandkhail asked: “Will we have to ask for a daily progress report?”
Meanwhile, Judge Muhammad Ali Mazhar, while talking with AAG, said: “Are you looking for more time even after three months?”
Judge Rizvi observed that a well -known Pakistan journalist was murdered mercilessly. “Why does the Pakistani government not support the journalist’s family in Kenya?”
The Joint Secretary (Interior) informed the Court that the Ministry of Interior had written a note to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Mutual Legal Cooperation.
Judge Rizvi ordered that a progress progress report to the court daily.
Judge Khan commented: “Our concern is that it has been so long, why has there been such a delay in Arshad Sharif? [murder] case?”
Judge Naeem Akhtar Afghan commented that Kenya’s court had issued a decision that should be submitted to the Judicial Registry. “The Superior Court of Kenya made its decision in July and has not led it to the Court Registry,” he said.
The SC ordered that the decision of the Superior Court of Kenya be submitted to the judicial records and postponed the hearing for a month at the request of AAG Rehman.
