The secretary of the Saleem Shehzad Commission on Tuesday presented its probe report to Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani on the mysterious murder of the journalist, giving a clean chit to the country’s security agencies, including the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Saleem Shehzad was an investigative journalist who had claimed of receiving life threats and pointed fingers at the country’s security agencies, especially the ISI, only a few days before his murder.
A source privy to the details said the 140-page report had recommended the prime minister make the report public. “The commission found no involvement of any security agency, including the ISI, in the killing of the journalist. Moreover, none of the journalists interviewed gave any evidence or shared information about the involvement of agencies. No one even blamed any intelligence agency of involvement,” added the source. However, the source said the commission directed the intelligence agencies to streamline their working vis-à-vis media and maintain proper record of their interactions with journalists.
The commission further directed the Islamabad and Punjab police departments to continue their respective investigation process to identify the perpetrators of the crime. The commission further asked the government to pay compensation amount to the family of the slain journalist and also cater for the educational needs of his children. “Though the commission was given six weeks to compile its report, it took six months to finalise the probe due to the sensitive nature of the matter. During the period, the commission recorded interviews of 41 individuals that have been made a part of the report,” the source said.
ISI gets a clean chit in Saleem probe
