Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has appealed to Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Umar Ata Bandial to establish a judicial commission to investigate the tragic killing of journalist Arshad Sharif in Kenya.

The premier, in his letter to the chief justice, requested that all available judges of the apex court should be included in the commission and suggested five questions to be specifically investigated.

Sharif was killed last month when the car he was in sped up and drove through a checkpoint outside the Kenyan capital of Nairobi and police opened fire. Nairobi police expressed regret over the incident, claiming it was a case of “mistaken identity” during a search for a similar car involved in a child abduction case.

In the letter, the prime minister raised the following question.

• What procedure Arshad Sharif adopted to travel abroad in August 2022
• Who facilitated Sharif’s departure abroad
• Was any federal or provincial agency, institution, or administration aware of any threat to Arshad Sharif’s life or not
• If there were information about the threat. What measures had been taken to protect him

The premier said that it should be investigated what were the circumstances and reasons which forced Sharif to go to Kenya from the United Arab Emirates.

Shehbaz Sharif further requested that the commission should note the real cause of the shooting incidents in which Arshad died. Whether Sharif’s killing by the Kenyan police was really a case of “mistaken identity” or was it the result of some criminal game, the premier questioned.

PM Shehbaz stressed that the formation of the commission was necessary for the rule of law in the country, adding that the federal government would provide full support to the commission.

The premier told CJP that a committee consisting of experienced officers was immediately sent to Kenya after the tragic incident of Sharif’s death.

The premier said that the federal government had formed a commission consisting of a retired judge of the Lahore High Court, but Sharif’s mother had requested the chief justice to investigate the matter, adding that the coalition government fully supported her request.

He pleaded with the Chief Justice that after the death of Arshad Sharif, doubts were cast on the federal government and the state institutions, so it was necessary to form a judicial commission to restore public trust.

If an impartial body did not investigate, there was a risk of damage on a long-term basis, he said.