Kenyan authorities 'reluctant' to cooperate in Arshad Sharif probe, SC told

The Special Joint Investigation Team (SJIT) probing the murder of senior journalist Arshad Sharif informed the Supreme Court on Monday that Kenyan authorities were reluctant to cooperate in the investigation. Additional Attorney General (AAG) Chaudhry Amir Rehman detailed the progress report before a five-judge bench of the apex court, led by Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial, and said that Kenyan authorities charged two police officials for the use of excessive force. He added, however, that no SJIT members could investigate any individual nor were they allowed to observe the crime scene. The AAG also admitted that the investigation team could not obtain new tangible material or evidence in Kenya. He added that a request was made through Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to the Kenyan president for a telephone call in January, but Kenya was yet to respond. Rehman added that the SJIT was also not given access to meet brothers Khurram and Waqar, who sponsored and hosted Sharif, in the east African country. Read At least 42 journalists killed in Pakistan during last four years The AAG maintained that Kenya was a friendly country and Pakistan could not take any action which could affect the two countries' mutual cooperation on international issues. However, Justice Ijaz-ul-Ahsan urged that the United Nations should be involved in the matter. He also asked the JIT if they investigated the circumstances which caused the journalist to flee Pakistan. The death of the journalist had sent shock waves across rights organisations, the media fraternity and civil society and prompted calls for thorough investigation and disclosure of facts. During an earlier hearing, the CJP appreciated the report of the fact-finding committee, comprising two senior officers of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and Intelligence Bureau (IB), for unearthing important facts about the case. Their report had read that the murder of Sharif was a “planned and targeted assassination” by transnational characters and not a case of mistaken identity, as claimed by the police in Kenya.

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