PM announces judicial probe into Sharif murder

• Shehbaz promises to public findings of independent judicial investigation

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday announced formation of a judicial commission (JC) for an independent judicial investigation into the assassination of Arshad Sharif, an outspoken and professional journalist who was shot and killed by Nairobi police in Kenya on Sunday, and promised to share findings of the investigation with the public.

"I have decided to form a judicial commission to carry out a thorough inquiry into the killing of journalist Arshad Sharif to determine and reveal the facts surrounding the tragic incident in a transparent [and] conclusive manner," Shehbaz Sharif tweeted.

https://twitter.com/CMShehbaz/status/1584857580991819776

The development, however, came after the murder of the journalist sent shockwaves and anger through the entire and journalist community.

https://twitter.com/CMShehbaz/status/1584863926570713088

The journalists and the international media watchdog Reporters Without Borders have demanded an independent probe into the killing while anchorperson Hamid Mir on Monday noted there were contradictions in the Nairobi police statements about the incident.

Sharif was killed on Sunday night when the car he was in sped up and drove through a checkpoint outside the Kenyan capital and police opened fire. Nairobi police have expressed regret over the incident, saying it was a case of “mistaken identity” during a search for a similar car involved in a child abduction case.

https://twitter.com/CMShehbaz/status/1584505902157074435

When the car in which Sharif was traveling in with another Pakistan resident, Khurram Ahmed, failed to stop — for reasons that remain unclear — despite being flagged down at the checkpoint, the police opened fire and laid chase.

Sharif’s car flipped over; he was shot in the head and killed. His family in Pakistan said that Ahmed, who had initially been identified as Sharif’s brother by the Nairobi police, was not a relative but that he was the driver of the car, according to information they received.

There was speculation that Ahmed was hurt in the incident and taken to hospital but officials in Kenya have not announced any details about Ahmed’s condition and whereabouts.

The 49-year-old journalist fled Pakistan in July amid threats to his life.

'ARRANGEMENTS IN PLACE' TO BRING BODY HOME

Meanwhile, Sharif's body is being repatriated to Islamabad on Tuesday, Marriyum Aurangzeb, the minister of information and broadcasting, said.

A Pakistan plane departed from Kenya earlier on Tuesday, carrying Sharif’s body, and was expected to land in Pakistan later on Tuesday night, Aurangzeb said. On Monday, Shahbaz Sharif also spoke with Kenyan President William Ruto about the incident.

https://twitter.com/ImranRiazKhan/status/1584622528332693504?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Pakistan diplomats were in attendance at the Nairobi airport when the plane with Sharif’s remains took off. Later Tuesday, it stopped in Doha, Qatar, before proceeding on to Pakistan. Sharif’s family said his funeral will be held in Islamabad on Thursday.

Sharif left Pakistan in July to avoid arrest following a citizen’s complaint against him on allegations of maligning the military. His whereabouts were not publicly known; most of his relatives and friends knew only that he had spent time in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and London.

A month later, Sharif’s employer — ARY News — fired him, saying he had violated the TV station’s social media policy. His talk show POWERPLAY, which aired on Mondays and Thursdays, was discontinued.

The station had earlier in the year remained critical of the prime minister following the ouster of his predecessor, Imran Khan, in a no-confidence in the parliament in April. Sharif had been a prominent critic of Khan’s ouster.