Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif’s murder in Kenya was a planned targeted assassination with transnational characters, a fact-finding team has said in a 600-page report submitted to the Supreme Court on Wednesday.

“Both members of the FFT have a considered understanding that it is a case of planned targeted assassination with transnational characters rather than a case of mistaken identity,” the report said.

It was likely that Arshad Sharif had been forced out of Dubai by its authorities. There seemed to be characters from multiple countries involved. “The transnational roles of characters in Kenya, Dubai and Pakistan in this assassination cannot be ruled out.”

The report said that although Arshad Sharif was shot from the back and the bullet exited from his chest, there was no bullet mark on the seat of his car. “That does not match with his sitting position, position of the gunners as well as the line of fire. “

The report said that the version of the Kenyan police regarding ‘mistaken identity’ was full of contradictions. It added that Khurram, who was driving Arshad Sharif’s vehicle, also presented a story that contradicted itself.

It claimed that Waqar, who was hosting Arshad Sharif in Kenya, seemingly had links with Kenyan intelligence as he handed over the journalist’s phone and tablet to them instead of the police. He is also well connected within Pakistan.

The report is 592 pages long, including 80 pages of findings with annexures, including photographs.

The fact-finding team confirmed that Arshad Sharif’s body carried marks of torture as nails from four fingers of his left hand were missing. It added that the Kenyan authorities had taken nails as DNA sample, but did not specify how many nails were taken.

Conflicting reports of events

The report quotes Kenyan police officials as well as Waqar and Khurram to try and construct how the event took place. However, the versions have massive differences.

It is settled that Arshad Sharif reached Kenya on August 20 and stayed at the Royal Green apartments till October 22. He then went to a farm in Kwenia with Khurram in the vehicle in which he would ultimately be found dead.

He stayed there for a barbecue party until October 23. His trip back from the barbecue party would be his last.

Here is where the versions differ.

A special unit of the Kenyan police called the GSU claimed it had set up road blocks near the point where the dirt road from the farm reached the metalled road going to Nairobi. However, they admitted that putting up road blocks was not a regular part of their job. The report also stated that the police was stationed in an ‘ambush’ posture.

Khurram says that he saw that stones had been placed on the road and thought they had been placed by ‘dacoits’. He claims he saw no sign of either police or a road block.

The police says that when the vehicle reached the block, they were fired upon from within the vehicle upon which they fired back. However, Khurram simply says they were fired upon.

After coming under fire, Khurram drove in a hurry to another farm at Oletepesi, 25 kilometres away. He ‘sensed’ that Arshad Sharif had been wounded but only upon reaching the farm did he see that the journalist was dead.

Around 24 hours later, the police said that the journalist had been shot on the basis of mistaken identity.

The examination showed that there were nine bullet marks on the vehicle but none on the driver’s side. There was not even a splatter of blood on the driver’s seat. The bullet that killed Sharif from behind could left no mark on the seat he was sitting in.

To top the mystery, the police unit siad that despite the vehicle not stopping , they decided not to chase the vehicle. Their reason for this is that one of their men had been injured by the fire coming from the vehicle, however the FFT’s invesitgators were not given access to the injured policeman. Curiously, the police also admitted that they collected all nine shells they had fired and then moved their collegaues to the hospital, even though he was severely wounded.