ISLAMABAD: A global media rights organization on Wednesday called for an independent international investigation into a Pakistani journalist’s murder in Kenya last year in October after two UN special rapporteurs wrote to the Pakistani and Kenyan authorities to highlight their inability to cooperate and conduct any serious investigation.
Arshad Sharif was shot and killed by the police in the African state that said his vehicle had sped up and drove through a checkpoint outside the Kenyan capital of Nairobi. Later, the police authorities expressed regret over the incident, saying it was a case of “mistaken identity” during a search for a similar car involved in a child abduction case.
Sharif, who became increasingly critical of Pakistan’s powerful military establishment after the ouster of former prime minister Imran Khan from power in April 2022, decided to leave his country just a few weeks before his murder to avoid arrest on charges of maligning state institutions. He briefly spent some time in the United Arab Emirates and ultimately arrived in Kenya.
The UN special rapporteurs took up the issue with the Pakistani and Kenyan authorities in October this year, mentioning the circumstances in which Sharif had to leave Pakistan and deploring lack of serious investigations in both countries.
“The letters from the UN experts are unequivocal,” Arnaud Froger, head of Reporters Without Border’s investigation desk, said. “There has been a clear lack of will on the part of both Kenya and Pakistan to establish the precise circumstances of this journalist’s murder and identify those responsible.”
“At this stage, the preliminary investigation in Kenya has been botched and the investigation by the Pakistani security services has been very one-sided,” he added. “In view of the presumed involvement of the security forces of both countries in this murder, only an independent international investigation would be able to establish the facts. This is what RSF fervently seeks.”
The statement added that its own investigation into the matter highlighted many inconsistencies and biases in the Kenyan and Pakistani investigations, and the lack of cooperation between the two countries in their desultory efforts to identify those responsible.
The media rights organization maintained that international law required the investigation to be prompt, effective and thorough, independent and impartial, and transparent, adding the preliminary probe of Sharif’s murder seemed to satisfy none of these elements.
Sharif’s wife, Javeria Siddique, also filed a lawsuit against Kenyan police in October.
International media rights organization seeks independent probe into Arshad Sharif’s murder in Kenya
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International media rights organization seeks independent probe into Arshad Sharif’s murder in Kenya
- Sharif, a prominent Pakistani journalist, was shot and killed by police outside Nairobi in what was called a case of ‘mistaken identity’
- Reporters Without Borders says the investigation of the case has neither been prompt nor effective, thorough and transparent
Six cops killed as IED explosion targets police vehicle in northwestern Pakistan
- Blast in northwestern Tank district kills inspector, additional sub-inspector, driver and three members of elite force personnel, says police official
- Attack takes place as Islamabad grapples with surge in militant attacks in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province bordering Afghanistan
PESHAWAR: Six cops were killed in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast that targeted a police vehicle in Pakistan’s northwestern Tank district on Monday, a police official said as Islamabad struggles to contain surging militant attacks in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province.
The IED explosion targeted an armored police vehicle on the Gomal-Jutta Road near the Kot Wali Canal area, Tank police spokesperson Younas Khan said. The blast killed an inspector, an additional sub-inspector, the driver of the vehicle and three members of the police’s elite force personnel.
“The armored police vehicle was completely damaged in the explosion,” Khan said.
He said senior police officials, including District Police Officer (DPO) Tank Shabbir Hussain Shah reached the site of the blast to collect evidence and carry out an operation in the nearby rugged terrain.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed sorrow over the incident, directing authorities to carry out an investigation into the incident.
“The terrorists responsible for this attack will be brought to their logical end at the earliest,” Sharif was quoted as saying by his office.
KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi praised police for their sacrifices against militancy, vowing to bring all those involved in the incident to justice.
“Anti-peace elements would not succeed in their nefarious designs by targeting the police force,” Afridi said as per a statement released from his office.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. However, the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militant outfit has claimed responsibility for some of the deadliest attacks targeting law enforcement personnel in KP in the past. The TTP has frequently targeted convoys of security forces, police stations and check-posts besides kidnapping government officials in the region.
Islamabad has frequently accused Afghanistan of allowing the use of its soil to armed outfits such as the TTP. It has also alleged that India backs militant groupswho carry out attacks against Pakistan. Kabul and New Delhi have consistently denied this.
