Investigations into the killing of renowned journalist Arshad Sharif hit a snag after the Kenyan Embassy barred Pakistani detectives from grilling local police officers linked to the murder case.
Reports indicated that the Kenyan embassy argued that the officers would be on break for the festive holidays and were unavailable for interrogation.
The Special Joint Investigation Team (SJIT) had planned to visit Kenya during the first week of January 2023 and thus approached the embassy to access visas and arrange a meeting with the cops.
Kenya reportedly advised SJIT to apply afresh for visas and meetings after Sunday, January 15.
To add to the woes, the Pakistani government turned down the funding request for the SJIT to visit Kenya.
International reports indicated that the Pakistani detectives sought Ksh14 million as facilitation to cover travel and accommodation costs for the five members.
A source in the Pakistani government, who spoke to the international press, referenced the ban on foreign visits of government officials.
In reply to a written submission by SJIT convener, Islamabad’s Deputy Inspector General Headquarters, Awais Ahmed, the finance ministry declined the request to release the funds.
According to the source, the investigators were directed to re-appropriate funds from the police budget.
Initial reports unravelled inconsistencies between the Kenyan detectives and their Pakistani counterparts surrounding the death of the journalist.
According to the foreign detectives, Sharif was tortured by his captors for hours before his demise. This was corroborated by a report indicating that the injuries incurred in the body were 12.
This contradicted the post-mortem conducted in Kenya, which claimed only two injuries were recorded.
In addition, a report filed by one of the GSU officers manning the roadblock claimed that they retaliated after Sharif and the man driving the vehicle opened fire on them.
On the other hand, the Pakistani detectives alleged that the killing of the journalist was planned and not a case of mistaken identity.
