Thursday, 8 December, 2022 I 14 Jamadi Awwal, 1444 I Rs 15.00 | Vol XIII No 159 I 12 Pages I Islamabad Edition
SC orderS new panel to probe Sharif aSSaSSination g
COURT ASkS TO INCLUDE mEmBERS FROm ISI, IB, FIA AND POLICE IN PROBING TEAm
iSLAMABAD
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Staff RepoRt
hE Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered the government of the Pakistan Democratic movement (PDm) to set up a new, specialized investigation team to investigate the killing of Arshad Sharif, the prominent investigative journalist who was shot dead in kenya. Sharif, 50, a fierce critic of the military, died in a suspected police shooting near kenya’s capital Nairobi on October 24. A five-member bench, comprising CJP Bandial, Justice Ijazul Ahsan, Justice Jamal mandokhel, Justice Syed mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi and Justice mohammad Ali mazhar took the hearing of the suo moto notice. On Tuesday, a large bench of the Supreme Court, headed by the chief justice, ordered the federal government to file the first information report (FIR), 43 days after Sharif’s “targeted” killing. Sharif fled Pakistan in August — first to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and later to the East African nation — after over a dozen sedition cases were registered against him for allegedly criticising institutions and “abetting mutiny” within the army.
The court had directed the authorities to present a copy of the police report and the inquiry report conducted by the two-member investigation team, which visited the two nations, on Wednesday. During the proceedings, Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial said the latest should include members from the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) spy agency, Intelligence Bureau (IB), Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and the police. The court asked the government to issue a notification to this end and inform the judges about the members by Thursday. Tuesday’s FIR was brief as an investigation had not taken place and there
were no eyewitnesses, the top judge said. he said the probe should be conducted by senior officials who are experts in understanding the case and gathering evidence from other nations. It also asked the Foreign Office to assist the team in collecting evidence. “The court has not formed a judicial commission as it is a criminal case,” CJP Bandial observed during the hearing, adding that the investigation should begin from khurram and Waqar, the two men Sharif was in contact with in kenya. Earlier, a copy of the 592 pages long report compiled by the fact-finding committee was also submitted in the court. The report bears the signatures the two-member commission – FIA Director muhammad Athar Waheed and Intelligence Bureau (IB) Deputy Director General Omar Shahid hamid. Sharif’s mother Riffat Ara Alvi and his widow were present for the hearing, along with the FIA director general, the information secretary and the Islamabad police chief. During the hearing, the interior ministry presented the fact-finding report and the first information report (FIR) registered on Tuesday of the journalist’s killing. Additional Attorney General (AAG) Aamir Rehman told the court the investigating team had received information from kenyan authorities. The team also met three of the officials who fired at Sharif, he said, adding that a meeting with the fourth one could not be arranged as he was injured.
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IGP Islamabad bypasses District Administration in notifying JIT on Arshad Sharif murder case ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad Police Wednesday bypassed the District Administration in notifying a five-member committee to investigate the Arshad Sharif murder case. The office of IG Islamabad on Wednesday issued notification with regard to constitution of special joint investigation team to probe into FIR No 987/22 dated 6/12/2022 u/s 302/34PPC police station Ramna Islamabad. On the request made by the SSP/Investigation, Islamabad vide letter dated 06.121022, a Special Joint Investigation Staff RepoRt
DETAILS STORY ON PAGE 04
Govt readies plan to import Turkmen LPG via Afghanistan g
ImPORT TO hELP mEET CRIPPLING GAS ShORTAGE profit report ahmad ahmadani
Faced with a gas shortage crisis as winter sets in across the country, the government has drawn up comprehensive plans to import Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) over land from Turkmenistan via Afghanistan, Pakistan Today learnt on Thursday – plans that could come into play with immediate effect once necessary approvals come through. The Collector Customs, Quetta, after consulting stakeholders, has forwarded a plan to the Federal Board of Revenue to import the LPG from the Chaman border, said sources privy to the matter. They said the federal government is all set to take a big step of importing the LPG from Turkmenistan, which is not only cost effective but the LPG is also of better quality. All necessary preparations have been made and customs officials at Chaman border will allow the entry of LPG bowsers to Pakistan after necessary clearance, the sources added. Documents available with Pakistan Today provide further details on various aspects of the plan, which will begin after necessary approval of the FBR. In the first phase, Afghan transporters, referred to as the Afghan prime movers, will bring LPG from the border of Turkmenistan, and will hand over the bowsers to the Pakistani prime movers at the Chaman border. In the second phase, a facility for LPG decanting will be established at Chaman border. The documents outlined three plans – the immediate plan, short term plan and long term plan – as
devised in a consultation session on November 10 between stakeholders to devise a mechanism for the LNG import. Under the immediate plan, imports will commence immediately, while six to eight months are required for the short-term plan, and one year for the long term plan. In the immediate plan, LPG being imported in Pakistani bowsers will be cleared using the existing border gate (Friendship, or FS, Gate), facilities and yard. According to the short term plan, notification of a new gate and yard will take at least six to eight months, as per the district administration, National Logistics Cell (NLC) and the XII (12) Corps. LPG clearance through the new gate and yard at Chaman will be done as per Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) and Balochistan Environment Protection Agency (BEPA) standards. Under the long term plan, a station will be established to decant the LPG into Pakistan bowsers. The initial process will involve empty Pakistani bowsers being transported to the Chaman border by Pakistani prime movers, who will then hand over to Afghan prime movers. The Afghans will transport the bowser, through Afghanistan, to the border crossing with Turkmenistan at Torghundi for the LPG to be filled. The bowser will then travel back to Chaman, and will be handed over to Pakistani prime movers who will transport the cargo to necessary destinations in Pakistan. Pakistan is faced with acute gas shortages, with local reserves depleting fast, and global Liquified Natural Gas supplies in high demand with winter setting in across the word, which has sent market prices out of Pakistan’s reach.