ISLAMABAD: An international organization for media freedom has said in a recent statement the credibility of Pakistan’s civilian institutions is at stake as the country probes the killing of a high-profile journalist in Kenya last year.
Arshad Sharif, who worked with a local news channel as an analyst and talk show host, was shot by the police in the East African state on October 23. The authorities in Nairobi described the incident as a case of “mistaken identity,” adding it took place when the journalist’s vehicle sped up and drove through a checkpoint.
Sharif harshly criticized the incumbent government and the country’s military establishment after the ouster of former prime minister Imran Khan from power in a parliamentary no-confidence vote. Subsequently, a number of criminal cases were registered against him in different districts, forcing him to leave Pakistan and travel to the United Arab Emirates in August before flying to Kenya.
“Three months after Arshad Sharif’s brutal murder, the mystery surrounding the circumstances of his death is more impenetrable than ever,” said Daniel Bastard, the Asia-Pacific head of Reporters Without Borders (RSF). “After managing to retrace his movements during the three months preceding this tragedy, we ask the investigators to leave no leads unexplored regarding the motives for the murder and to coordinate better with the Emirati and Kenyan authorities manifestly involved.”
“The reliability of the results of the investigation and, therefore, the credibility of Pakistan’s civilian institutions are at stake,” he added.
Sharif mentioned threats to his life before leaving his country.
An official fact-finding team, which visited Kenya after the journalist’s assassination, raised questions about the narrative of the Kenyan police while calling Sharif the victim of a “planned and targeted assassination.”
RSF said it had carried out its own research and wanted the Pakistani authorities to “focus on the possible motives for Arshad Sharif’s murder, which have until now been neglected.” It added his last few television talk shows could help the investigators identify potential suspects.
“The governments of Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates and Kenya should sign a memorandum of understanding on cooperation with regard to this case, so that the investigators have complete freedom to track how Arshad Sharif spent his time, to identify those he spoke to, and to assess the pressures to which he was subjected in the weeks leading up to his murder,” the statement continued.
It also maintained the country’s ex-premier Khan should also be questioned “about his role in this affair,” adding he should clarify his statement that he advised Sharif to leave Pakistan.
RSF asked the country’s authorities to interview Sharif’s employer, Salman Iqbal, to establish “what information was in his possession and what was or was not done to protect Sharif after he had been the target of legal proceedings and death threats.”
The statement added that RSF supported the idea of seeking assistance by the United Nations to continue the probe.