PM Kakar seeks Kenyan president’s facilitation in Arshad Sharif’s murder probe

BEIJING: Caretaker Prime Minister (PM) Anwaarul Haq Kakar on Tuesday sought facilitation from Kenyan President Dr William Ruto over the finalisation of the investigation into the murder of Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif, ARY News reported.

“The prime minister requested the Kenyan President for facilitation and finalisation of the report of special joint investigation team (JIT) in the murder case of late Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif,” the PM Office said in a statement following the meeting of the two leaders.

The meeting took place on the sidelines of the 3rd Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation being held in Beijing, China.

PM Kakar and the Kenyan president discussed bilateral cooperation in diverse fields and reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing bilateral relations in areas of trade, investment, education and people-to-people contacts.

Both leaders emphasized the importance of economic cooperation and agreed to enhance engagement to realize the true potential of bilateral trade.

PM Kakar said as a fellow member of the Belt and Road Initiative, Pakistan would like to enhance collaboration with other BRI member countries including Kenya to identify and develop new projects and initiatives.

“This commitment underscores Pakistan’s dedication to furthering development and shared prosperity through increased cooperation and partnerships,” he said.

President Dr William Ruto echoed the sentiments and expressed his country’s interest in learning from Pakistan’s expertise in sectors like agriculture and healthcare.

PM Kakar extended an invitation to the President of Kenya to visit Pakistan at an early date, which was accepted by him. He also invited the Prime Minister to visit Kenya at his earliest convenience. It was agreed that the visits would be finalized through diplomatic channels.

It is pertinent to mention here that the senior journalist and former ARY News anchor, was killed in the Kenyan capital Nairobi on October 23 where he was living in self-exile.

A few days ago, the five Kenyan policemen, who were involved in the killing of former ARY News anchorperson and senior journalist Arshad Sharif, have ‘resumed’ their official duties without facing any accountability.

This claim was made by Kenyan Crime and Investigative journalist, Nyaboga Kiage.

The journalist said the five cops involved in the fatal shootout are back to work and two of them have been promoted to senior ranks.

Kenya’s Independent Policing and Oversight Authority (IPOA), the body that is tasked with investigating the conduct of police officers, despite making a promise to give an update on Arshad Sharif’s murder within weeks, has not made its findings public in over nine months.

“We shall give an update on the matter once we are done with the investigations,” the IPOA said in a statement when asked about the matter.