Faisal Vawda appears before journalist’s murder fact-finding committee

ISLAMABAD, Nov 21 (SABAH): Former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Muhammad Faisal Vawda appeared before the fact-finding committee established for the investigation of senior journalist Arshad Sharif’s murder case on Monday.

Faisal Vawda reached the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) headquarters in Islamabad and appeared before the fact-finding committee.

Talking to media personnel after his appearance, Faisal Vawda stated that the agency had given him a ten-question-long questionnaire. He claimed that the journalist’s murder was planned in Pakistan and that the fact-finding committee was doing great work. Hopefully the untouchable bigwigs will be reached,” he said.

He also said that pushing PTI chief Imran Khan into the party’s long march was akin to taking him to a dead-end. “I will not become prime minister if Imran Khan is disqualified, these people will,” he said, not naming any official. He further urged Imran to “clean up” the PTI.

On the other hand, PTI leader Murad Saeed’s claimed that an impartial, transparent and independent inquiry could not be expected from the FIA in the context of the current situation and due to the attitude of the federal government. He stated that the incumbent government played a controversial role regarding the official autopsy of Arshad Sharif.

Saeed Murad maintained that the fact-finding committee should investigate who were the plaintiffs who registered more than 16 cases against Sharif and what “elements” were behind them. He further said that the fact-finding committee should uncover who was threatened by Sharif’s journalism, who would harass and threaten the journalist while he was in the country and who released pictures of his departure to Dubai. He further said that the request for Sharif to leave Dubai, and whoever was behind the request, should be traced. The Interior Ministry’s fact-finding team formed to probe slain journalist Arshad Sharif’s murder called the PTI leaders and asked them to present evidence, if any, before the team at the FIA headquarters.

The team asked for the leaders’ help because they were close to the journalist. Faisal Vawda’s press conference related to the slain journalist following his murder raised some eyebrows, suggesting that he might be helpful in leading the case to its logical conclusion.

The team, which consists of Director FIA Athar Waheed and Deputy Director General Intelligence Bureau (IB) Shahid Hamid, provided its initial report to the Interior Ministry after concluding the investigation in Kenya.