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A two-member inquiry committee comprising representatives of Pakistan’s Intelligence Bureau (IB) and Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Sunday reportedly recorded the statements of two witnesses to the killing of journalist Arshad Sharif in Kenya, including the man whose house he had been staying at.
According to local media, the committee—comprising IB’s Omar Shahid Hamid and FIA’s Athar Waheed—met both Kurram Ahmed, who was driving the vehicle in which Sharif was a passenger at the time of his shooting, as well as his brother Waqar Ahmed, whose home Sharif had been residing in. While there has been no official confirmation of the development, media said both witnesses had reiterated the Kenyan police’s stance of Sharif being shot due to “mistaken identity.”
Waqar, reportedly, claimed he had hosted Sharif at a friend’s request. However, it is unclear if he identified this “friend” or refused to divulge their identity to the investigators. He claimed he had only met the journalist once—on the day of his killing—during a meal at a shooting lodge near Nairobi.
“After the meal, Arshad left with my brother Khurram in a car and 30 minutes later there was a report of firing on the vehicle,” he was quoted as saying by ARY News. He also claimed that Sharif’s iPad and mobile phone had been given to Kenyan authorities for further investigation.
The channel reported that the two witnesses had claimed Sharif was planning to shift to Nairobi permanently and had already sought an extension to his visa for this purpose. They also alleged that the journalist had been in Kenya for two months prior to his killing.
The committee, per authorities, would remain in Kenya for two weeks to gather all available information prior to the formation of a Judicial Commission that would utilize their evidence to determine how and why Sharif left Pakistan and why he was compelled to move to Kenya from Dubai.
Sharif was killed near Nairobi by Kenyan police on Oct. 23 in a case they have described as a case of “mistaken identity” after the car he was riding in failed to stop at a roadblock. The killing has triggered outrage in Pakistan, with calls for an independent probe to fix responsibility and ensure justice for the journalist’s family.