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Global media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) on Wednesday called for an independent international probe into journalist Arshad Sharif\u2019s murder after it said United Nations special rapporteurs \u201cdeplored\u201d the Pakistani and Kenyan governments for their \u201cfailure to cooperate and conduct any serious investigation\u201d.<\/p>\n
Sharif, a broadcast journalist associated with ARY News<\/em>, was shot dead<\/a> in Nairobi in October last year. Initial reports on his killing by the Kenyan media had quoted local police as saying that Sharif was shot dead by police in a case of \u201cmistaken identity\u201d.<\/p>\n However, later reports from the Kenyan media reconstructed the events surrounding the killing, stating that an occupant in Sharif\u2019s car at the time of his killing was believed to have shot at paramilitary General Service Unit officers.<\/p>\n In October, RSF had itself accused authorities<\/a> in both countries of being uncooperative and engaging in duplicity following a year-long investigation into the murder.<\/p>\n In a press release issued today, the watchdog referenced the two UN special rapporteurs, recalling that they had written to both the countries\u2019 governments in October and castigated their handling of the matter, adding that the tone of their letters was \u201cunrelenting\u201d.<\/p>\n The letter to the Pakistani authorities, written by Irene Khan, special rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, and Morris Tidball-Binz, special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, had expressed \u201cdeep concern\u201d about the \u201cdeath threats and legal actions\u201d against Sharif.<\/p>\n It had also called on the government to \u201ccease all criminalisation and harassment of journalists carrying out their legitimate work, particularly those whose work is of a political nature,\u201d noting that the threats against Sharif and his eventual death were \u201cpart of a wider trend of intimidations against journalists in Pakistan, particularly those who criticise state institutions.\u201d<\/p>\n It had also noted that there was \u201ca distinct lack of clarity as to why the investigations have not yet been successful and the perpetrators brought to justice\u201d in the case.<\/p>\n RSF said that the rapporteurs, like the organisation\u2019s own investigation into the matter, had \u201cdeplored the 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\u201d.<\/p>\n RSF pointed out that at the end of its investigation, it had condemned the fact that Pakistan authorities were favouring the hypothesis of Sharif\u2019s Kenyan host Waqar Ahmed being a central figure in the murder \u201cwithout any supporting evidence\u201d.<\/p>\n Arnaud Froger, head of RSF\u2019s investigation desk, stated that the UN letters were \u201cunequivocal\u201d and there was \u201ca clear lack of will on the part of both Kenya and Pakistan to establish the precise circumstances of this journalist\u2019s murder and identify those responsible.\u201d<\/p>\n He emphasised that only an independent international investigation would be able to \u201cestablish the facts\u201d about the case.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the Government of Pakistan\u2019s response to the UN rapporteurs\u2019 October letter, is available on the UN Human Rights Office\u2019s website<\/a>.<\/p>\n The reply, dated December 2, said the government was \u201cfully determined\u201d to pursue the murder case and ensure that those responsible were held to account.<\/p>\n It said the government was in close contact with Kenyan authorities on the matter, adding that their cooperation was required to conclude the case.<\/p>\n The reply outlined the measures taken related to the case such as the Supreme Court\u2019s suo motu notice, the formation of a special joint investigation team (SJIT) and five progress reports sent to the apex court.<\/p>\n It added that the SJIT\u2019s second and third phases pertaining to the investigation in Kenya and the United Arab Emirates remained a \u201cwork in progress\u201d since they were dependent on the cooperation of the two countries.<\/p>\n Sharif had left Pakistan in August 2022 after multiple cases of sedition<\/a> were registered against him in different cities. It was reported that he initially stayed in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after leaving Pakistan and later went to Kenya, where he was murdered.<\/p>\n The government subsequently formed a team<\/a> that travelled to Kenya to investigate the killing. A progress report of the murder probe was furnished<\/a> before the Supreme Court in March.<\/p>\nGovt response to UN\u2019s October letter<\/h2>\n
The case<\/h2>\n