ISLAMABAD: Rejecting the government-constituted inquiry commission, the mother of slain journalist Arshad Sharif on Wednesday wrote a letter to Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial requesting him to set up a judicial commission comprising senior Supreme Court judges to determine the real motive and identify criminals behind her son’s killing.

“Only knowing the real motive and criminals and bringing them to justice will end the agony of Shaheed Arshad Sharif’s family and his journalist fraternity,” stated Sharif’s mother, Riffat Ara Alvi, in a two-page letter to the CJP.

“Otherwise, I will rest my case to Allah awaiting His justice,” she said, also expressing confidence that her letter would receive due attention given the gravity of the case and not ignored like her son’s earlier letter he wrote to the authorities informing about the threats to his life.

On Oct 31, the government appointed retired judge Abdul Shakoor Paracha as the chairman of a three-member inquiry commission to probe into the mysterious murder of senior journalist Arshad Sharif in Kenya on Oct 23.

Sharif’s mother has now requested the CJP to protect her son’s murder case from becoming controversial and provide him justice. The letter said the high-powered judicial commission will also take care of the feeling of insecurity amongst the family members of the journalist.

It also recalled how her son had written a letter to the CJP on July 12 to bring into his notice the threats to his life and about the numerous criminal cases initiated across the country by the government invoking charges like sedition. On account of these threats and registration of a number of cases, her son had to leave the country on Aug 10 and take refuge in the UAE.

The letter regretted that many facts the real were being concealed. Arshad’s mother recalled that Kenyan police had changed their stance and statements at least thrice. It said well before an investigation team left for Kenya on Oct 28, ministers had started airing fabricated stories in relation to the death of her son.

Published in Dawn, November 3rd, 2022