ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has announced the formation of a judicial commission to probe the killing of senior journalist and former ARY News anchorperson Arshad Sharif in Kenya, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb confirmed Tuesday.
Arshad Sharif was shot dead in Kenya by the local police on Sunday night along the Nairobi-Magadi highway on Sunday in a “mistaken identity case”.
The official police statement later expressing “regrets on the unfortunate incident” and saying an investigation was underway.
In a statement today, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said that the federal government has decided to form a judicial commission under the supervision of high court judge to probe the murder of prominent journalist.
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.
— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) October 25, 2022
She further shared that the head of the judicial commission can include members from media and civil society in the probe commission to find facts behind the death of Sharif.
Body to arrive today
The flight carrying the body of senior journalist and former anchorperson of ARY News Arshad Sharif has departed for Pakistan from Kenya’s Nairobi.
According to the Foreign Office, the flight will land at Islamabad International airport via Doha at 1:25am on Tuesday.
Senior journalist’s killing incident
Sharif embraced martyrdom after an accident on the outskirts of Kenya’s Nairobi city on Sunday night.
The incident took place when he was travelling to Nairobi from the country’s Magadi town.
According to Kenyan media, Arshad Sharif was shot in the head and killed by police after he and his driver allegedly breached a roadblock.
Read more: Arshad Sharif: Flight carrying body of journalist departs for Pakistan
Detailing the incident, the Kenyan media quoting the police said that the manned roadblock had received information to intercept a car similar to the one, Arshad Sharif and his driver were in, following a carjacking incident in Nairobi in which a child was allegedly taken hostage.
Profile
A seasoned journalist, Arshad Sharif was one of Pakistan’s top news anchors. ARY News show Powerplay was Arshad’s last outing on national television.
He had worked for the country’s top news channels and newspapers in the past. He was awarded ‘Presidential Pride of Performance for his exceptional journalism in the year 2019.
