Islamabad:
The Pakistan army will support the formation of a commission to
investigate the murder of journalist Saleem Shahzad, an official here
said.
Shahzad, 40, was kidnapped in Islamabad on May 29 and his body,
bearing marks of severe torture, was found dumped in a canal in Punjab
province two days later.
He is widely believed to have been seized by intelligence officials
for alleging in an article that terrorists attacked a key naval base in
Karachi on May 22 after the navy refused to free sailors held for
suspected militant links.
Director General of Inter Services Public Relations Major General
Athar Abbas, while talking to a TV channel on Sunday, expressed concern
over what he referred to as baseless propaganda being carried out in a
section of media against the army and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI)
about Saleem Shahzad's murder.
Major General Abbas said the army has its own strategy to tackle security issues, Associated Press of Pakistan reported.
He said: "We will implement our own strategy which is in the best interests of the nation, whether anybody likes it or not."
The Supreme Court Monday directed the government to form a judicial
commission to probe the killing of the journalist and remarked that no
further delay in formation of the commission will be accepted.
A two-member bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice
Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry and Justice Amir Hani Muslim heard the
petition filed for the formation of a high-powered commission to probe
the murder of Saleem Shahzad.
The chief justice said that everything should not come to the court as the government needs to do its job. IANS
