Arshad Sharif murder
On Sunday, a two-member team formed to investigate and ascertain the facts surrounding the death of senior journalist Arshad Sharif recorded the statements of two brothers who provided accommodation and other facilities to the slain journalist in Kenya.
The team, led by Director FIA Athar Wahid and Deputy Director IB Umar Shahid Hamid, formally launched the investigation today, questioning key witnesses in the murder, Waqar Ahmed and Khurram Ahmed.
Khurram claimed that as soon as the gunfire started, he began to fear and pressed the accelerator. He disclosed that Arshad Sharif’s iPad and phone had been stolen by Kenyan authorities.
FIA was contacted in the meantime for comment, but none was given.
The killing
After being charged with numerous offences, including sedition following an interview with PTI politician Shahbaz Gill during which the latter made divisive remarks, the 49-year-old journalist left the country in August to avoid being arrested.
Due to alleged threats to his life, Sharif first travelled to Dubai in August. He eventually moved to Kenya, where he allegedly was shot and later died.
According to Bruno Shioso, a spokesman for the Kenyan National Police, the journalist was killed by a police officer after his vehicle broke past a barricade. Then, he continued, “they were fired upon, mortally wounding late Arshad Mohammed Sharif.”
The journalist’s killing shocked the media community, civil society, and human rights organisations, leading to demands for a comprehensive inquiry and the release of all relevant information.
The accusations made by the Kenyan police regarding the killing have been contested by a number of regional and international journalists, including Kenyan media representatives and important figures.
