Kenya and Pakistan have yet to ratify a mutual legal assistance agreement that will allow the sharing of crucial investigative evidence and details in the brutal murder of Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif. 

According to reports from Pakistan, the Pakistani government on Friday sought additional time from the country’s Supreme Court to finalise the mutual legal assistance agreement with Kenya. 

Judges on the constitutional bench expressed their mounting frustration at the delays, demanding that the Pakistani government submit daily progress reports on the pact’s ratification. 

The agreement, which was signed last December, is intended to facilitate the exchange of vital evidence between Pakistan and Kenya in the probe into Sharif’s killing.

Pakistani's former News anchor Arshad Sharif.

File

Sharif, a prominent Pakistani journalist, was fatally shot in Nairobi in October 2022 when Kenyan police opened fire on his car, a move they later described as a case of mistaken identity. 

An autopsy confirmed that Sharif had suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the head, a detail that corroborated eyewitness accounts and underlined the brutality of the incident. 

According to reports from Pakistan, the Supreme Court’s frustration was palpable as justices questioned why the pact had yet to be ratified, despite the passage of several months and repeated assurances from the Pakistani government. 

Legal experts maintain that the mutual legal assistance agreement is crucial, as it would grant Pakistani investigators access to crime scene evidence and enhance cross-border cooperation with Kenyan authorities. 

Sharif’s widow, left to fight the case alone in a Kenyan court, has been particularly vocal about the lack of support from the Pakistani government, a matter that has further inflamed public anger. 

During the hearing, justices condemned the protracted process, with one judge remarking that a well-known journalist had been mercilessly murdered, yet his family received little assistance in securing justice. 

Kenyan judicial authorities have also been urged to expedite their proceedings, following a high court decision that criticised the handling of the case and called for a more rigorous investigation.

The delay in resolving the investigation has compounded the controversy surrounding Sharif, who had fled Pakistan in 2022 amid multiple sedition charges, only to meet a violent end abroad. 

With the Supreme Court adjourning the hearing for a month and mandating daily progress reports, pressure is mounting on the government to overcome bureaucratic hurdles and bring those responsible for Sharif’s death to account.

An image of Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif.

Arshad Sharif