ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office (FO) on Thursday submitted its response to the Supreme Court in suo moto notice taken in senior journalist Arshad Sharif’s murder in Kenya.
The foreign office in its response apprised the SC that the Pakistani diplomatic missions in Kenya and UAE are continuously in contact with the authorities for the probe in the case.
The contacts with the Kenyan government will yield the results soon, the FO response said and added that they are reviewing the procedure for seeking assistance from the international organizations in the Arshad Sharif murder probe.
The SC was told that the Foreign Office is committed to keeping friendly relations with Kenya and the United Arab Emirates and a departure of a special delegation to Kenya is also under consideration.
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The FO is committed to the logical conclusion of Arshad’s case and for this various legal options are being considered.
The extradition of suspects involved in the Arshad Sharif murder case from Kenya is also on the cards.
Fact-finding report
The fact-finding committee, formed to probe the killing of senior journalist Arshad Sharif, has failed to collect evidence about who threatened the journo to leave United Arab Emirates (UAE).
According to the revelations made in the 592-page report of the inquiry committee the details of Arshad Sharif’s contact details, CDR details, residence in Kenya and the statements of the people regarding the deceased journalist are included.
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In the report, the committee revealed that the slain journalist was forced to leave Pakistan due to the threats associated with the cases registered against him, pointing out that the cases were lodged against the rules and regulations.
The report also dismissed the view that Arshad Sharif was killed due to mistaken identity, claiming the journalist’s murder had been planned. The investigation team found a contradiction in the statements of the Kenyan police during the probe.
It also revealed that the anchorperson was apparently forced to leave United Arab Emirates (UAE).