Danai Nesta Kupemba
Friday October 20, 2023
Arshad Sharif was well known in Pakistan as a journalist and TV news anchor
The widow of a prominent Pakistani journalist is suing the Kenyan government for the “targeted assassination” of her husband.
Javeria Siddique filed a lawsuit in Nairobi on Wednesday for the wrongful murder of Arshad Sharif.
The journalist was shot and killed a year ago by officers of Kenya’s elite police force - the General Service Unit (GSU).
The officers involved in the incident said it was a case of mistaken identity, but the widow has disputed the GSU’s claim.
"They can call it mistaken identity, but I consider it a 'planned targeted killing' because the threat Arshad received in Pakistan was executed in Kenya," Ms Siddique told BBC Urdu.
She added: "Whatever the reason may be, if they are admitting that they killed him, they should also be punished."
"I hope that the Kenyan courts will give us justice," she said.
She told the AP news agency that she believed her husband’s killing was linked to his criticism of the Pakistani military.
Sharif had moved to Kenya in August 2022 to avoid multiple arrest and sedition charges.
Ms Siddique is quoted by AP as saying that the Kenyan government never contacted her and never “showed any kindness”, adding, “It is really cruel for a government to be so insensitive”.
The lawsuit states that Ms Siddique wants the police, attorney general and director of public prosecutions “to punish and prosecute the police officers who killed her husband”.
Ms Siddique also wants the attorney general to “issue a public apology, including an acknowledgement of the facts, and acceptance of responsibility” for the death of Sharif.
Last year, Pakistani investigators published a 592-page report following the killing of Sharif and concluded that the Kenyan police issued contradictory statements regarding the case.
The Islamabad authorities charged two Kenya-based Pakistani businessmen who hosted Sharif with involvement in the killing in December 2022.
Pakistan’s military has denied any involvement.