-Urges legal action against blame-mongers
-Seeks findings who forced Anchor moving abroad
-| PM announces formation of high-level Judicial Commission
-Imran Khan claims Arshad Sharif killed in targeted attack
-US urges full investigation by Kenya
DM Monitoring
ISLAMABAD: Director General (DG) Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Babar Iftikhar on Tuesday said the military had asked the government to carry out a high-level investigation into the tragic killing of senior journalist Arshad Sharif by Kenyan law enforcement officials.
The Kenyan police fatally wounded Sharif on the night of Sunday, October 23, in what the Kenyan authorities said was a “mistaken identity” shooting on the outskirts of the Kenyan capital Nairobi.
“We have requested the government to hold a high-level investigation so that all these speculations can be put to rest,” he while talking to a private news channel. “All the aspects of this terrible incident need to be looked into.”
To a question regarding the accusations being hurled at the institutions’ alleged involvement in Sharif’s killing in Kenya, the DG ISPR said: “It is very unfortunate that people engage in allegations without any evidence to back them up and I think an exhaustive investigation should be carried out to deal with these things”.
He said it was critical to watch out for the elements trying to exploit this tragic incident to their advantage. “I believe it should also be investigated as to why Arshad Sharif had to leave Pakistan in the first place,” the DG ISPR said. “Though Kenyan police have confessed to their mistake, a number of questions need to be answered.” Earlier it was reported that the General Headquarters (GHQ) had moved the government to constitute a high-level panel to look into the killing of the senior journalist. The military, in a letter to the government, requested the formation of an inquiry commission for a detailed investigation into the killing of Sharif by Kenya’s police. The letter also requests legal proceedings against those who are casting aspersions/accusations as per the constitution of Pakistan.
Meanwhile, PTI Chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan has claimed that slain journalist Arshad Sharif has been killed in a “targeted attack.”
“No matter what anyone says, I know that Arshad Sharif became a victim of target killing,” Khan claimed, while addressing a lawyer’s convention in Peshawar.
Commenting on the journalist’s killing, Khan said: “I had received information that Sharif would be killed so that truth could be silenced.”
The former premier also claimed that Sharif was receiving threats from unknown numbers. “I told him to leave the country, but he did not listen,” Khan shared, adding that he considered Sharif the most respected figure in journalism.
Earlier, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had decided to form a judicial commission headed by a high court judge to probe into the tragic incident. Aurangzeb said the decision had been taken to ascertain the facts that led to the journalist’s killing under mysterious circumstances.
The premier also broadcast his decision on the social media website Twitter. “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,” the PM said in a Twitter post.
A senior police officer told The Star newspaper of Kenya 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. The police report said a relative of Sharif had been driving the car, adding that a roadblock using small stones had been placed on the road to stop cars, but Sharif’s vehicle drove through without stopping, even after officers opened fire. Nine bullets hit the car, and one hit Sharif in the head.
US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price, meanwhile, said the United States was “deeply saddened” by Sharif’s death.
“We encourage a full investigation by the government of Kenya into his death. It’s not entirely clear that we know all the circumstances at this point regarding what led to his death, but we do urge a full investigation,” he said during a regular press briefing.
Asked about whether journalists critical of the political system in Pakistan should feel safe in Pakistan, Price said: “ This is a country that cherishes the rights that are enshrined in our constitution, in our Bill of Rights.
“I, of course, am not here to offer advice to everyone, but these are rights that are embedded in our country’s experience, that are embedded in America’s DNA. We also believe that these rights are universal. These are rights that should not be only protected here. These are rights that should be at the heart of societies around the world.
“And when countries fail to respect these rights, when they actively try to contravene these rights – in this case, when they attempt to suppress, repress, or otherwise harass journalists – they tend to hear about it from the United States. And that’s a good thing,” he said.
