ISLAMABAD: The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its affiliate, Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) on Friday demanded justice for slain journalist Arshad Sharif, four years after he was shot dead in Kenya.

Sharif was a prominent journalist who was critical of Pakistan’s government and the powerful military establishment. He was killed in the outskirts of Kenya’s capital Nairobi on Oct. 23, 2022, when police officers fired at his car. Kenyan police later said the killing was a case of mistaken identity.

A five-member bench of the Supreme Court took up a suo motu case for an independent and transparent probe of Sharif’s murder in December 2022. However, in 2025, the case was transferred to the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC), which was formed as a result of Pakistan’s constitutional reforms. In February, the FCC disposed of the suo motu case, stating that a legal assistance (MLA) agreement had been reached between Pakistan and Kenya due to which there was no need for “judicial interference” in the matter.

The IFJ cited the Kenyan Supreme Court’s decision in July to dismiss a final appeal seeking to compel prosecution of the police officers in Sharif’s case, release investigation records and increase compensation, holding that charging decisions rest with the Director of Public Prosecutions.

“Four years after Arshad Sharif was murdered, the failure to hold the perpetrators to account is a grave denial of justice and a dangerous message to journalists across the world,” the IFJ said in a statement.

“The IFJ stands with Sharif’s family and Pakistan’s journalist community in demanding an independent, transparent investigation in Kenya and Pakistan, the release of all relevant findings, and the prosecution of the officers responsible for his death. Impunity must not be allowed to prevail.”

The PFUJ urged the government and Pakistan’s chief justice to deliver justice to Sharif’s family and ensure that those responsible for his killing are punished.

‘TARGETED ASSASINATION’

Sharif, who hosted a current affairs show on a local television channel, had to leave Pakistan in 2022 after several cases related to charges of sedition and others were filed against him. He was believed to have been in the UAE since he left Pakistan and had traveled to Kenya where he was killed.

While Kenyan police called his killing a case of mistaken identity, a team of Pakistani investigators, who probed his alleged murder, released a report in December 2022 saying his killing was a “planned, targeted assassination.”

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who was then also Pakistan’s premier when Sharif was shot dead, had condemned the killing and expressed shock and grief over the incident.

Pakistani journalists have often complained of intimidation and harassment at the hands of the government and military establishment, charges that both deny. Pakistan ranks 153rd out of 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders (RSF) 2026 World Press Freedom Index, in the lowest of the index’s five categories.

The RSF has said that the press in Pakistan faces repeated waves of restrictions as authorities seek to control, and in some cases suppress, journalistic content. Pakistani authorities deny the accusations.