Pak Journalist Arshad Sharif’s killing a case of mistaken identity

INTERNATIONAL DESK: The killing of the Pakistan-based journalist Arshad Sharif in Kenya was a case of “mistaken identity” and there was no conspiracy involved to murder him, an investigative report by the Kenyan authorities said, according to Geo News.

According to the report, Arshad Sharif was killed by four members of the para-military General Service Unit (GSU) in a random shootout in Kenya when the journalist was on his way to his penthouse, where he was living at that time.

The Kenyan account sticks to the police version, which states that the four guards were looking for a fleeing vehicle when Khurram Ahmed, the driver of Arshad jumped the police-erected barriers and caused them to shoot at Arshad Sharif’s automobile.

The thorough official report, however, disproves the police’s first account. The GSU officers first claimed that shots were fired from inside Arshad’s Land Cruiser towards the police officers, and the police responded by opening fire, Geo News reported.

According to the study, no shots were fired from inside Arshad Sharif’s automobile, which contains brand-new information and has not yet been made public.

According to the official report, the prosecution should file charges against two of the four GSU officers because they were found to have opened fire carelessly while using excessive force. However, Arshad Sharif was not subjected to torture before or after the murder, according to the official investigation.

Earlier in January, a New Pakistan report highlighted how journalists in Pakistan have been killed by militants, insurgents, and “unidentified state actors.” The report further stated, “The common thread in these killings is that truth and justice are elusive, and killers walk free while families look in vain for answers.”

Citing the death of journalist Arshad Sharif, the report said that his killing in Kenya under mysterious circumstances shows the “chilling reality” that “Pakistani journalists and dissidents are not safe from threats even outside the country.”

Arshad Sharif was shot dead in Kenya’s Nairobi city on October 23 in 2022, The Express Tribune reported. Sharif’s death left rights organisations, the media fraternity, and civil society shocked and they called for an investigation into the matter. On January 5, a five-member larger bench led by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Umar Ata Bandial carried out the hearing of the suo motu case over Arshad Sharif’s murder, according to The Express Tribune report. (ANI)