ISLAMABAD: The federal government Wednesday reconstituted the three-member team to investigate the mysterious murder of senior journalist Arshad Sharif in Kenya.

According to a notification issued late Tuesday night by the interior ministry, a three-member team comprising Director Federal Investigation Authority (FIA) Athar Wahid, deputy director general Intelligence Bureau (IB) Omar Shahid Hamid and Lt Col Saad Ahmed of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) would ascertain the facts related to the murder of Sharif from Kenyan police and relevant authorities.

However, the ministry issued another notification on Wednesday which only contain name of IB and FIA officials and did not mention the name of ISI official.

“The team will travel to Kenya immediately,” the notification said, adding the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Pakistan’s High Commission in Nairobi, Kenya will facilitate the visit of the committee members.

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said that the team will examine the role of a company set up by a person connected to a private channel in Pakistan with respect to its gold smuggling business in Kenya. The investigation team will examine motives behind Arshad Sharif’s departure from Pakistan to Dubai and then from Dubai to Kenya, he said.

Without naming Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan who stated that he had asked Sharif to leave the country, the minister said that after the confession of a political figure, the investigation team will also examine the factors which forced Arshad Sharif to travel from Pakistan to Dubai and then to Kenya.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022