Islamabad: (PPF) A seven-member constitutional bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan, on December 9 oversaw proceedings related to the murder of senior journalist Arshad Sharif.

During the hearing, Additional Attorney General (AAG) Amir Rehman informed the court that Pakistan and Kenya had finalized a Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) agreement scheduled to be signed on December 10.

The AAG further noted that he had not yet submitted a report related to the case. Responding to this, the bench directed him to submit it and adjourned proceedings.

In August 2024, the Supreme Court’s Practice and Procedure Committee, chaired by then-Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, voted 2-1 in favor of constituting a five-member larger bench rather than a three-member bench to hear the suo motu case concerning Sharif’s murder.

Sharif, a prominent Pakistani journalist, was killed in Kenya in October 2022 under circumstances initially surrounded by conflicting reports. Initially, varying versions of his death came forward, with some reports claiming it was an accident and Kenyan media claiming it was a “mistaken identity” case.   However, in December 2022, a fact-finding team (FFT) comprising officials of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and the Intelligence Bureau determined that Sharif’s death was a result of a “planned targeted assassination.” In July 2024, a Kenyan High Court ruling declared the killing of Sharif as “unlawful.”