Arshad Sharif case: Investigators to head to Kenya
Investigators probing how and why senior journalist and anchorperson Arshad Sharif was killed in Kenya could depart for the African country as soon as Thursday as the government decided to expand the probe to explore the reasons that pushed the journalist to leave Pakistan.
This was disclosed by Federal Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah on Wednesday evening while speaking on SAMAA TV program Nadeem Malik Live.
During the program, Sanaullah claimed that the two member committee formed by the government to probe the attack could head to Kenya in the coming hours later on Wednesday night or by Thursday morning.
He added that the committee has been tasked with not only investigating the murder and determining the culprit but also probe the possible nexus of the people involved in pushing him out of the country and the alleged link a private television channel has with gold smugglers.
Furthermore, he said that the investigators will gather details about the activities of the slain journalist Arshad Sharif and the reasons behind his departure from Dubai to Kenya.
Earlier, in a notification, a two-member civilian investigation team was formed to probe Sharif’s killing. The team includes Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Director Athar Waheed and Intelligence Bureau (IB) Deputy Director-General Umar Shahid.
Kenyan Police’s flippant narrative
The interior minister also disclosed that the Kenyan police has once again changed their narrative on the facts surrounding Sharif’s murder.
“The Kenyan Police is changing its narrative regarding the murder case,” Sanaullah said, adding that now two names have been put forth in the case.
This was why, Sanaullah explained, the government had to “de-notify the former team and form a new one.”
“The Kenyan government has not announced its official stance on the matter. This is why have decided to send our senior officials to Kenya for investigation,” he added.
Responding to a question whether Sharif was forced out of Dubai, Sanaullah said that he has yet to see evidence with regards to Sharif’s possible deportation upon expiry of his visa.
“If the journalist was facing pressure in Dubai, could arrangements for his accommodation not have been made in Dubai?”
However, he went on to add that though Kenya is an unsafe country, one can instantly obtain a visa for it.
He also raised questions on the arrangement of a European visa for Arshad Sharif.
