A YEAR has passed since journalist Arshad Sharif was gunned down by Kenyan police south of Nairobi. But despite the intervention of top officials from both Pakistan and Kenya, we are no closer to learning the truth behind the murder, and punishing the culprits. While the Kenyan police initially said the journalist was shot at a roadblock in a case of “mistaken identity”, this alibi is hardly believable; Pakistani investigators have already cast doubt on the assertion. Yet it also appears that powerful actors in Kenya and Pakistan are trying to ensure that the facts behind the murder never come to light. In fact, Reporters Without Borders has observed that both countries are being “uncooperative” and “engaging in duplicity” where the investigations are concerned. The anchor had fled Pakistan in August 2022 after sedition cases were registered against him for criticising the PDM government and the establishment. After a brief stay in the UAE, he travelled to Kenya, where he met his tragic end.

According to media reports, the Kenyan president has inquired about the case, but has received no satisfactory replies. Meanwhile in Pakistan, the trial court hearing the case has said there is a “lack of interest” on part of the prosecution as witnesses have failed to testify despite repeated summons. The state must ensure that the truth about the murder emerges. This can be done by continuing to remind the Kenyan authorities of the need to carry out a thorough investigation and uncover the facts, while also ensuring that legal proceedings in Pakistan are not stalled. The Supreme Court, which took suo motu notice of the murder, can remind all concerned that the guilty need to be identified and punished. A Pakistani journalist was murdered in a foreign land under suspicious circumstances. The state, therefore, owes it to Arshad Sharif’s family and the media fraternity to get to the bottom of this heinous crime.

Published in Dawn, October 26th, 2023