An investigation has commenced in Kenya following the Sunday shooting death of renowned Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif at a roadblock by Kenyan police.
According to a police statement, he sustained “fatal injuries” while riding as a passenger in a car that failed to stop.
Mr. Sharif was both a critic of Pakistan’s military and an outspoken supporter of the deposed prime minister, Imran Khan.
The 49-year-old had fled Pakistan in August due to harassment complaints.
He had previously visited the United Kingdom and Dubai before traveling to Kenya. It is unknown precisely why he was in the East African nation.
On Monday, journalists in the Pakistani city of Karachi demonstrated against his murder.
Kenya’s police oversight agency, the Independent Police Oversight Authority (Ipoh), stated that it has dispatched a rapid reaction team to the scene of the Sunday evening shooting in Kajiado county, close to the capital city of Nairobi.
Ipoh chairwoman Ann Makori told reporters that the panel will investigate the “supposed police shooting of a Pakistani national.”
Officers had established the roadblock while searching for a stolen vehicle. “The vehicle of [the] decedent collided with a police barrier, which they drove past. At that time, they were fired upon “the new statement.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan (no relation) tweeted that he was “devastated by the horrific news of journalist Arshad Sharif’s untimely death.”
Later, he stated that he had asked Kenyan President William Ruto for a “fair and transparent investigation… He pledged all-out assistance, including expediting the body’s return to Pakistan.”
The Information Minister of Pakistan, Marriyum Aurangzeb, cautioned against speculating on the death’s circumstances.
In a brief tweet, Javeria Siddique, Sharif’s wife, stated that she had lost a “friend, husband, and my favorite journalist.”
Former Prime Minister Khan demanded a “full legal probe” and expressed “horror” at what he termed a “murder,” adding that he “paid the ultimate price for telling the truth.”
In April, Mr. Khan was dismissed from power following a vote of no confidence. Sharif, who had previously supported Mr. Khan, began to allege that the Federal Investigation Agency was harassing him and subsequently fled the country.
