ARY CEO should be brought back to Pak and investigated: Army

Rawalpindi, Oct 27 Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director-General Lt. Gen. Babar Iftikhar on Thursday said it was necessary to assess the facts related to the death of Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif in Kenya because baseless accusations were made on institutions, the leadership and army chief.

Speaking at a press conference here, he said it has to be seen what facts have been revealed so far regarding the circumstances surrounding the death of the late journalist, The News reported.

The DG ISPR said ARY Chief Executive Officer Salman Iqbal should be brought back to Pakistan and be investigated, The News reported.

In a first, Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) Director-General Lt. Gen Nadeem Anjum, too, accompanied the DG ISPR in the press conference.

The director-generals of the Pakistan Army and the country's premier intelligence agency addressed journalist Arshad Sharif's killing in Kenya, the PTI narrative against the army, former premier Imran Khan's controversial statements and more in the explosive presser.

The DG ISPR termed it imperative to hold transparent and impartial investigation into the killing of the senior journalist, saying that they have requested the government to form a high level inquiry commission to investigate the despicable incident.

The DG ISPR said international and forensic experts including the UN representatives should be included in the inquiry commission.

Pakistan's institutions and especially the army leadership was targeted and it was linked with treason and regime change operation, said Lt. Gen. Iftikhar.

He shared that during this time Sharif and other senior journalists were fed with a specific narrative.

While mentioning ARY news, the DG ISPR said that during the media trial the private TV channel acted as a spin doctor in spreading a false narrative against the Pakistan Army and leadership.