IHC urges the government to keep journalists’ bodies updated on the Arshad Sharif death investigation.

The government has been ordered by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to keep journalist organisations on board while it conducts an investigation into the alleged two-day-old murder of journalist Arshad Sharif by Kenyan police.
According to reports, local police in Kenya shot and killed Sharif on Sunday night. A police statement afterwards expressed “regrets on the tragic occurrence” and said an investigation was ongoing.
Initial reports in Kenyan media said that Sharif was killed by police in a “mistaken identity” incident.
A petition was submitted to the IHC yesterday asking the court to order the creation of a judicial commission to look into the circumstances surrounding the journalist’s forced flight from Pakistan to the United Arab Emirates amid widespread condemnation and condolences pouring in from all directions. The same day, the plea was accepted by the court.
The hearing
IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah stated that he appeared in court today just for this case at the case’s hearing.
“Has anyone paid the offended family a visit? Justice Minallah reminded the government of the court’s earlier rulings, which instructed government representatives to meet the journalist’s heirs, and he questioned whether they needed any [legal] aid.
According to petitioner Shoaib Razzaq, the dead journalist’s body would arrive at his or her house today. He asked the court once more to establish a judicial commission to look into Sharif’s passing.
Justice Minallah stated that the commission’s formation at this time would be pointless and that journalist organisations should remain involved in the investigation.
The situation was sad, according to Deputy Attorney General Syed Ahsan Raza Shah, who also claimed a report from the Kenyan government was awaiting.
He assured the court, “We would listen to his concerns once the report from the Kenyan government is obtained and if the petitioner raises any objections to it.
The court postponed the hearing for a week after hearing the arguments.
A judicial panel was to be established, according to the plea, to look into the circumstances surrounding the journalist’s forced exodus from Pakistan to the United Arab Emirates.
In the plea, it was requested that the judicial committee “may also be asked to contact with national authorities and the Kenyan agencies and look into the horrific deed which had led to the unjustified, cold-blooded murder of Arshad Sharif.”
Additionally, it asked the court to issue instructions for returning the journalist’s body to Pakistan.
Body is expected to arrive tomorrow morning.
The late journalist’s mortal remains are being returned from Nairobi tonight on an aircraft leaving Nairobi at 1:25 a.m. for Doha, according to a statement from the Foreign Office.
The FO stated, “Onward flight will depart Doha at 1935 hours (October 25) and arrive in Islamabad at 1:05 hours tomorrow night.
Saqlain Syeda, the high commissioner for Pakistan, was reportedly in charge of the arrangements at the Nairobi airport.
US requests that Kenya conduct a thorough probe.
While this was going on, US State Department spokesman Ned Price expressed how “truly grieved” the US was by Sharif’s passing.
We support the Kenyan government’s efforts to conduct a thorough investigation into his passing. We do encourage a comprehensive inquiry, he added during a routine press briefing, even though it’s not entirely obvious that we know all the details of what caused his death at this moment.
When asked if Pakistani political system critics should feel safe there, Price responded, “This is a country that loves the rights that are written in our constitution, in our Bill of Rights.
“I am not here to provide advise to everyone, of course, but these are rights that are ingrained in the history and the very DNA of our nation. These rights, in our opinion, apply to everyone. There should be protection for these rights elsewhere as well. The foundation of all society should be the aforementioned rights.
And nations frequently hear about violations of human rights from the United States when those nations deliberately work to violate such rights, such as in this case when they try to repress, stifle, or otherwise harass journalists. It’s nice that too,” he added.
The murder
In a later statement, the National Police Service of Kenya confirmed that the incident happened last night in Magadi along the Kwenia Farm/Kamukuru Marram road, where “a foreigner, namely Arshad Mohammed Shariff (sic), a Pakistani national aged 50 years, was fatally wounded by a police officer while a passenger in a motor vehicle KDG 200M.”
Deceased was with his brother Khurram Ahmed at the time of the tragedy. The incident happens after Pangani Police issues a warning about a stolen car. The police in Magadi were informed by the cops who were following the car, and they set up a road blockade, it claimed.