Kenyan authorities have categorically declined to provide additional assistance to Pakistani authorities in their investigation of the assassination of journalist Arshad Sharif.
Pakistani authorities requested the Kenyan Foreign Office for permission to conduct a new investigation in the African nation.
According to sources on both sides, the Kenyan government has stated on five occasions that it has provided sufficient assistance and will not permit further investigations.
The Kenyan authorities emphasized that they had substantially assisted the two previous Pakistani investigators, Omar Shahid Hamid of the Intelligence Bureau and Dr. Athar Waheed of the Federal Investigation Agency.
According to reports, Kenyan officials are unhappy with the conclusions reached in Hamid and Dr. Waheed’s report. The report suggested a strong case for a murder conspiracy leading up to Sharif’s assassination, potential Kenyan police complicity, non-professionalism, changing statements, a clear case of murder plot cover-up, and a lack of will by Kenyan authorities to investigate the murder case thoroughly.
In contrast, an unpublished Kenyan government report asserts that Sharif’s murder resulted from “mistaken identity” and that no assassination plotting was involved. Sharif has allegedly killed in a random shootout by four paramilitary General Service Unit (GSU) members because his driver, Khurram Ahmed, did not halt at a roadblock.
Since then, Pakistan has repeatedly requested this report from the Kenyan government, but their requests have been consistently denied. The Kenyan government has informed Pakistani authorities that the necessary cooperation has been provided and that the apex court’s orders are a matter of internal concern for Pakistan.
The Joint Investigation Team (JIT) established by Pakistan’s highest court to investigate Sharif’s murder informed the court in February that no valid evidence was discovered in Kenya due to a lack of cooperation by Kenyan authorities. The JIT visited Kenya at the request of the Supreme Court, but their investigation was severely constrained.
The Kenyan police claimed it was a “mistaken identity” case when they murdered Arshad Sharif in October last year. Pakistani investigators hoped to visit the incident site, the AmmoDump camp, and Sharif’s home and gain access to Kenyan records. They were informed, however, that none of their requests would be granted, and no Kenyan official was prepared to assist the Pakistani investigators.
Since then, Pakistan’s Foreign Office has reached out to Kenya’s diplomatic mission and written to Kenya’s Foreign Ministry for assistance but has been categorically informed that no further assistance will be provided. Sharif’s family, friends, and the Pakistani media continue believing he was killed in a premeditated murder assault in Kenya. However, Kenya has provided no further assistance to the investigation.
The newsfeed was taken from Geo News.
