Arshad Sharif’s murder: Probe team requests Dubai police to provide vital information

ISLAMABAD: The two members of the team of senior officials constituted to investigate Arshad Sharif’s murder have requested Dubai police to provide copies of the visa and other related documents of the slain journalist that pertain to his last visit to the UAE.

The team — comprising Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) Director Athar Wahid and Intelligence Bureau’s (IB) Deputy Director General Omar Shahid Hamid — has written a letter to Dubai police in this regard. The journalist stayed in Dubai for some time before leaving for Kenya, where he was killed.

The letter says that the team has already visited Kenya and is now pursuing some leads in Dubai.

The two investigators have also requested Dubai police to help identify the place where the deceased stayed in Dubai, from August 8 to August 20, 2022. They also requested them to provide any CCTV footage, if available, of the premises in question, a mapping of Arshad Sharif’s movements during his stay in Dubai, any information regarding the person(s) that he met during his stay, and clarification over whether his visa was cancelled, and if so the reasons for the cancellation.

The two investigators also requested for the provision of CDR of Sharif’s number 0971509162620, which was reportedly in the journalist’s use in Dubai, any data regarding arrivals and departures of holders of Pakistani passports from August 10 to August 20, CDR details of the Dubai number 0971505593545, reportedly in the use of Tariq Wasih, and 0971506524613, reportedly in the use of Salman Iqbal.

According to the sources, the team has also sought information about whether any UAE government official met Arshad Sharif and asked him to leave the country.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022