ISLAMABAD: Director General (DG) Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Babar Iftikhar said on Tuesday that the army has asked the government to stop the killing of senior journalist Arshad Sharif by Kenyan law enforcement officials. A high-level investigation into the tragic murder. .
Sharif was fatally wounded by Kenyan police on the night of Sunday, October 23, in what Kenyan authorities said was a “mistaken identity” shooting on the outskirts of the Kenyan capital, Nairobi.
Talking to a private news channel, he said that we have requested a high-level inquiry from the government to stop all these speculations. “All aspects of this horrific incident need to be looked at.”
Responding to a question regarding allegations of alleged involvement of agencies in the killing of Sharif in Kenya, the DG ISPR said: “It is very unfortunate that people are making allegations without any evidence so that they can be backed up … and I think there should be a full investigation to deal with these things.”
He said that it is important to keep an eye on elements trying to take advantage of this tragic incident.
DG ISPR said that I think there should also be an inquiry into why Arshad Sharif had to leave Pakistan in the first place.
“Although the Kenyan police have admitted their wrongdoing, there are many questions that need to be answered.”
It was earlier reported that the General Headquarters (GHQ) had requested the government to set up a high-level panel to investigate the killing of the senior journalist.
In a letter to the government, the army requested a commission of inquiry to conduct a detailed probe into Sharif’s killing by the Kenyan police.
The letter also requested legal action against those who are making allegations as per the constitution of Pakistan.
Earlier, Information Minister Maryam Aurangzeb said that Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has decided to form a judicial commission headed by a High Court judge to investigate the tragic incident.
Aurangzeb said that this decision was taken to ascertain the facts that led to the murder of the journalist under mysterious circumstances.
The Prime Minister also announced his decision on the social media website Twitter.
“I have decided to form a judicial commission to investigate the murder of journalist Arshad Sharif so that the facts of this tragic incident can be determined transparently and conclusively,” the prime minister said in a Twitter post.
I have decided to form a Judicial Commission to hold an inquiry into the killing of journalist Arshad Sharif in order to determine the facts of the tragic incident in a transparent & conclusive manner.
— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) October 25, 2022
A senior police officer told Kenya’s that the shooting was being treated as a case of “mistaken identity”.
The circumstances of Sharif’s death sparked widespread outrage in Pakistan and calls for an investigation. A relative of Sharif was driving the vehicle, the police report said, adding that the road was blocked using small stones to stop the vehicles, but Sharif’s vehicle passed by without stopping. Gone, even after the officers were fired. Nine bullets hit the car, and one hit Sharif in the head.
