Renson Mwakandana
A well-known Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif was fatally shot by police on Sunday at a roadblock in Kenya which has sparked an investigation to look into the matter.
According to a police statement, he was “fatally injured” as a passenger in a moving car after it failed to stop. Mr. Sharif was an outspoken supporter of deposed Prime Minister Imran Khan and a critic of the Pakistani military.
In August, the 49-year-old fled Pakistan after reporting harassment. Before going to Kenya, he had visited the UK and Dubai first. It is unknown precisely what he was doing in the nation of East Africa.
On Monday, journalists in Karachi, Pakistan, protested on the streets over his death. The Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA), the police watchdog in Kenya, announced that it has dispatched a fast reaction team to the scene of the shooting on Sunday evening in Kajiado County, close to Nairobi.
According to IPOA chairman Ann Makori, the panel will look into the “alleged police killing of a Pakistani national.” Police expressed remorse over the “unfortunate event” in a statement.
The roadblock was set up by police while they searched for a stolen vehicle. “The deceased’s car went through the police barricade once it encountered it. They were fired at that point.”
The prime minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif, expressed his sorrow and sadness at the untimely death of journalist Arshad Sharif in a tweet.
Later, he claimed that he had talked with William Ruto, the president of Kenya, to ask for a “fair and transparent investigation… He pledged all-out assistance, including expediting the process of returning the body to Pakistan.”
Marriyum Aurangzeb, Pakistan’s information minister, issued a warning against speculating on the circumstances of the death. Javeria Siddique, Sharif’s wife, wrote a brief note on Twitter lamenting the loss of her “friend, spouse, and favorite journalist.”
Former Prime Minister Khan demanded a “full legal probe” and expressed horror at what he called a “murder,” saying he had “paid the ultimate price for telling the truth.”
In April, Mr. Khan was forced out of office after losing a vote of no confidence. Following Sharif’s complaints that the country’s Federal Investigation Agency was intimidating him, Sharif—who had supported Mr. Khan—left the country.
