Arshad Sharif’s murder case: Samia Arshad’s non-bailable arrest warrants issued

Islamabad: In a startling development, a local court in the federal capital on Saturday issued non-bailable arrest warrants for Samia Arshad, the widow of the late senior journalist Arshad Sharif.

Arshad Sharif, a prominent journalist and former anchor for a news channel, tragically lost his life in Nairobi, Kenya, on October 23 while living in self-imposed exile.

These arrest warrants were issued against Samia Arshad and 18 other individuals by Judicial Magistrate Abbas Shah. The warrants were prompted by their failure to appear before the court as required witnesses in the Arshad Sharif murder case.

Key witnesses in the FIR (First Information Report) registered on behalf of the state in connection with the murder of Arshad Sharif include his wife, son, producer Ali Usman, and 16 others.

It's important to note that the FIR was registered on behalf of the state and not at the request of Arshad's family, who have already rejected it, according to the slain journalist's relatives.

Previously, Kenyan investigative journalist Brian Obuya raised concerns about the prolonged delay in the release of findings from the probe into the murder case of senior journalist Arshad Sharif.

 Obuya criticized the extended timeline for completing the investigation and pointed out the absence of any official report or disclosure of the names of the Kenyan policemen accused in the journalist's assassination case.