ISLAMABAD: The Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) will take up the murder case of renowned journalist Arshad Sharif on Wednesday, January 14.
A two-member bench of FCC, comprising Justice Aamir Farooq and Rozi Khan Barrech in the last hearing (December 3, 2025) had sought a progress report on investigations conducted in murder of Arshad Sharif, directing the federation that the report should contain what legal steps have been taken so far and the proposals for the probe in the future.
Justice Farooq questioned whether this Court (FCC) could proceed in Arshad’s murder case as the suo moto power has been curtailed in the 27th Amendment. The bench asked both sides to assist the Court regarding the matter on next date.
Former Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial on December 22, 2022 had taken a suo moto of Arshad Sharif murder. The renowned journalist was shot and killed in Kenya, by local police on 23 October 2022. The Kenyan police described the shooting as a case of “mistaken identity”.
Initially, the case was heard by five-judge SC bench, but after the enactment of 26th Amendment this matter was assigned to the Constitutional Bench of the Supreme Court, However, in pursuant of 27th Amendment the FCC was granted jurisdiction over the constitutional and the suo moto cases.
Advocate Imran Shafique, representing Arshad’s second wife Javeria Siddique, submitted that more than five thousand letters had been written to the SC after Sharif’s killing, and any one of them could be taken as a plea.
Justice Farooq stated that besides regulating the court proceedings, they also have to consider the jurisdictional aspect, adding “without satisfying itself the constitutional court could not function on this matter.
Additional Attorney General of Pakistan (AAGP) Aamir Rehman told the bench that Legal Mutual Assistance (MLA) agreement had been reached between the Pakistani and Kenyan government and a request had been sent to the Keyan government for Special Joint Investigation Team’s (SJIT) visit to the crime scene.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2026
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