Karachi: Pakistan’s prominent journalist Arshad Sharif was killed by police in Nairobi on Monday. An investigation has begun following the brutal killing, according to the Kenyan government.
The police were hunting car thieves and opened fire on the vehicle Sharif was travelling in.
Sharif’s death has sparked widespread outrage in Pakistan.
Pakistan demanded the Kenyan government carefully probe into the incident.
A Kenyan police watchdog said it is investigating the incident that happened on Sunday on the outskirts of Nairobi.
According to the Kenyan government, an investigation has begun following the brutal killing of the senior journalist. Arshad Sharif was shot dead by police at a roadblock on Sunday.
Sharif had fled Pakistan in August after complaining of harassment.
The slain journalist was a vocal supporter of former Prime Minister Imran Khan and a critic of Pakistan’s military. Before Sharif’s killing, he was in the UK and Dubai.
Journalists and people in Pakistan are outraged by Sharif’s death, calling it “brutal” and “tragic” as he was one of the most senior yet prominent journalists.
His wife took to Twitter and asked everyone to “respect” the family’s “privacy” as they have lost a precious family member.
I lost friend, husband and my favourite journalist @arsched today, as per police he was shot in Kenya.
Respect our privacy and in the name of breaking pls don't share our family pics, personal details and his last pictures from hospital.
Remember us in ur prayers. pic.twitter.com/wP1BJxqP5e— Javeria Siddique (@javerias) October 24, 2022
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif shared on his Twitter handle that he was “deeply saddened by the shocking news of journalist Arshad Sharif’s tragic death”.
Former Prime Minister Khan tweeted that he was “shocked” at what he described as a “murder”. He also said that Sharif “paid the ultimate price for speaking the truth”.
According to the Kenyan media‘s initial report, Nairobi police said that a 49-year-old was shot dead by police in a case of “mistaken identity”. It said the incident took place on Sunday night along the Nairobi-Magadi highway.