ISLAMABAD: Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday sought reply from the authorities concerned on a petition of mother of Arshad Sharif, seeking post-mortem report of her slain son.

IHC Justice Aamer Farooq took up the petition.

Sharif’s mother Riffat Ara Alvi in the petition cited President, Secretary Interior and Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) as respondents.

She contended in the petition that body of her slain son was brought on Oct 25 and on the request of family members the fresh post-mortem was carried out on Oct 26.

It said that on Nov 3, focal person of the family Colonel Usman visited Pims to get the post-mortem report and he was told that the report was held with the local police, adding that the police denied having post-mortem report and redirected him to Pims.

During the hearing on the petition, Ms Alvi’s counsel argued that Pims administration was neither giving postmortem report to the family nor declined the request and kept them in the dark.

He expressed apprehension that the government may change the report in order to distort the facts. The petition said that the “petitioner is desirous that the whole process should be transparent and that the representative of her should be directly involved and briefed regarding the daily progress and procedure which is being adopted by the respondents.”

The petition requested the court to issue direction to the respondents to release the autopsy report. It further requested that the report sould not be made public without the consent of the family members.

Her counsel also filed an application seeking hearing of the petition on Friday. However, the same day hearing was declined by the court observing that the matter was not urgent in nature. Justice Farooq issued notices to the secretary to President, secretary interior and executive director Pims and adjourned hearing till Nov 15.

Similarly, the Supreme Court of Pakistan also took up the letter of mother of slain journalist Arshad Sharif and dropped hints to summon the report from the investigating team which returned from Kenya after the investigation.

On Nov 2, Mrs Riffat Ara Alvi in a letter to CJP rejected the government’s appointed inquiry commission and requested the top adjudicator to set up a judicial commission comprising senior Supreme Court judges to determine real motive and identify criminals behind the crime.

Bail petitions of PTI leaders

The anti terrorism court (ATC) of Islamabad on Monday reserved decision on the petitions seeking pre arrest bail for PTI leaders including Senator Faisal Javed, Asad Umar, Amir Mehmood Kayani and Ali Nawaz Awan.

They are facing cases for violating section 144 of the criminal procedure code.

During the course of hearing, ATC Judge Raja Jawad Abbas Hassan inquired after Senator Javed who got injured during the firing incident in Gujranawala in which PTI’s chairman Imran Khan was also injured. Javed told the court that he narrowly escaped and he was recovering.

During the hearing, advocate Babar Awan argued that the FIR alleged that the PTI leaders blocked the road, chanted anti government slogans and damaged the public properties. However, there is no proof that could substantiate these allegations.

He pointed out that the Islamabad police registered 37 FIRs against PTI leaders for same offence.

The judge remarked that there are around 15pc cases in his court related to politicians. ATC Judge asked the prosecutor to advance his arguments.

The prosecutor on the other hand replied that since there was no record of this case with him, therefore, he could start counter arguments on the next date of hearing. The court then adjourned further hearing in this matter till Nov 14.

Published in Dawn, November 8th, 2022