Justice for Saleem Shahzad: As SC takes up case, military supports commission

Punjab, Islamabad police chiefs directed to submit the progress report of investigation.

ISLAMABAD:

The military’s information wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), “strongly supported” on Friday the formation of a commission to probe the kidnapping and murder of journalist Saleem Shahzad – on a day that also saw the Supreme Court take up a petition regarding investigations into the matter.

Through a spokesperson, the military, whose intelligence agencies have borne the brunt of accusations in the case, said that, “The case must be investigated thoroughly and facts made known to the people.”

On its part, the Supreme Court summoned three federal secretaries and two police chiefs on Monday to give their stance in response to a constitutional petition by Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) seeking justice for the slain journalist.

The court has ordered the police to present the investigation record of the murder of 76 journalists.

A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice (CJ) Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry has issued notices to federal law, interior and information secretaries, while the inspectors general of Punjab and Islamabad police have been directed to submit the progress report of the ongoing investigation. The court has also asked the investigation officer to appear along with the case record.

President Supreme Court Bar Association Asma Jahangir filed the petition late Thursday night after Justice Saqib Nisar refused to head a five-member commission constituted by the government without the CJ’s consent.

On the first day of hearing, PFUJ’s counsels Asma Jahangir and Munir Malik appeared before the bench and submitted that press freedom will be eroded if the government or the court neglects to take notice of this incident – in which a known journalist was abducted and brutally killed in broad daylight.

Killed for highlighting grey areas, journalists cannot perform their duties for fear of death, the lawyers contended, adding that it is the court’s responsibility to protect people’s fundamental rights. It was also maintained that the chief justice should have been consulted by the government before constituting the commission. Saleem Shahzad’s call data was deleted which can only be done by a powerful agency, the counsels charged.

Attorney General Maulvi Anwarul Haq and Advocate General Punjab Khwaja Harris have been appointed as amicus curie in the case. Apart from PFUJ President Pervez Shaukat, President Islamabad National Press Club Afzal Butt, a number of journalists including Absar Alam and Hamid Mir were present in court. Incidentally, Saleem Shahzad was not a member of the PFUJ, but he was a fellow journalist, according to the union’s representatives.

The PFUJ has requested the court to pass an order for setting up a high-powered commission to investigate Saleem Shahzad’s murder to be headed by a high official of integrity who is extended full cooperation.

Military ‘concerned’

Also on Friday, a spokesperson of ISPR voiced concern on the accusatory fingers continuously being pointed at the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in the media.

It called the ‘insinuations’  “unfounded and baseless”, adding that, “Such negative aspersions and accusations were also voiced against ISI in some previous cases but investigations proved those wrong.”

With additional input from news desk







Published in The Express Tribune, June 18th, 2011.