Pak's FIA says Shahzad's blackberry phone records inaccessible

Pakistan's main investigating agency FIA has said the phone records of slain journalist Saleem Shahzad were not accessible as the password to his BlackBerry device could not be retrieved.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) said that the government or Shahzad's family will have to formally approach
the foreign cellular firm over the issue.

"Slain journalist Saleem Shahzad's phone records could not be accessed as the password to his BlackBerry device
cannot be retrieved," the Dawn daily reported today, quoting FIA.

"The foreign cellular company (Shahzad used) will have to be approached formally either by the government or by Shahzad's family," Shahid Nadeem Baloch, Director of FIA's cyber crime wing who testified yesterday before a five-member judicial commission tasked to probe Shahzad's murder, was quoted as saying by the daily.

After the meeting, the commission's information secretary Taimur Azmat said the panel has already directed the Islamabad Capital Territory's inspector-general of police to contact the company to obtain Shahzad's password.

The commission has also asked its member Pervaiz Shaukat to approach the cellular company for obtaining the password and data.

First Published: Jul 26, 2011 16:51 IST