Abdul Shakoor Paracha, the head of an inquiry commission formed to investigate Arshad Sharif’s death, has said that the body will not be able to proceed with its investigation for various reasons.
Sharif was killed by the Kenyan Police on the night of October 23 in an operation what the Kenyan officials described as a case of “mistaken identity”.
However, following accounts from the Kenyan media reconstructed the circumstances leading up to the murder, indicating that it was alleged that a passenger in Sharif’s car at the time of his death fired at paramilitary General Service Unit (GSU) officers.
Earlier, the federal cabinet formed a three-member commission — led by retired judge Abdul Shakoor Paracha and comprising Additional Inspector General of Police Usman Anwar and Hamid — to “inquire into the facts” of the death. However, Sharif’s mother rejected the commission and its composition and requested the chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) to set up a judicial commission.
Paracha said he had informed the government that the commission would not be able to proceed with the inquiry for various reasons. Rejection of commission by Sharif’s mother and requesting the CJP for justice, no media representative in the commission are among the reasons Paracha mentioned in a statement today.
“It was not legally sustainable that he (DDG Hamid) can be a part of the commission based on his past conclusions,” Parachi stated in explaining the reasons. He said that it was essential for a member of the panel to be from the media so that “justice is not only served, but also visible when done.”
