ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) has expressed grave concern over the delay by law enforcement agencies (LEAs) in arresting the killers of senior journalist Arshad Sharif, ARY News reported on Saturday.
According to details, President Afzal Butt chaired a meeting of Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) at National Press Club, which was attended by media workers from Rawalpindi and Islamabad.
During the meeting, the participants expressed their concern over the delay by the law enforcement agencies (LEAs) in arresting the killers of Arshad Sharif. The notices issued by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) to TV channels were also discussed in the meeting.
Participants also expressed concern about “retaliatory actions” against journalists by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). The meeting also condemned the arrest of senior journalist Shahid Aslam, raising concern over the government’s failure to withdraw the PECA amendment ordinance.
The PFUJ also condemned the inclusion of provisions such as the death penalty in the FIR against senior journalist Ammad Yousaf, terming the case an “attack on press freedom”.
It is pertinent to mention here that the special Joint Investigation Team (JIT) formed to probe the killing of senior journalist Arshad Sharif has arrived in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The investigation team will remain in the UAE for a week to gather details of Arshad Sharif’s meetings and contacts he had during his stay in Dubai. The team will investigate two brothers Khurram and Waqar, who accompanied Sharif while he was in Kenya.
Earlier on December 3, the inquiry committee, formed to probe the killing of journalist Arshad Sharif, submitted its inquiry report to the Interior Minister.
Sources told ARY News that the inquiry committee’s report consists of more than 400 pages. Information from Kenya and Dubai is also included in the report, they added.
The assassination of Arshad Sharif
The senior journalist and former anchor of ARY News was killed in the Kenyan capital Nairobi on October 23 where he was living in self-imposed exile.
Kenyan police initially said Arshad Sharif was killed in a case of “mistaken identity”, but after the veteran journalist’s post-mortem and his body brought home, many Kenyan news outlets not only questioned the police’s conduct, but they raised questions about how he was killed.