ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Monday urged Kenya to ensure fair and transparent investigations into the murder of renowned Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif.
Sharif, a senior journalist and anchorperson, was shot dead by the Kenyan police Sunday night in a “mistaken identity” case while travelling to Nairobi from the country’s Magadi town, as per the Kenyan media.
Taking to Twitter, PM Shahbaz said that he had made a telephone call to Kenyan President William Ruto about the tragic death of Sharif.
“I requested him to ensure fair [and] transparent investigation into the shocking incident,” he wrote on Twitter.
Sharing the details, the prime minister said that the Kenyan president promised all-out help including fast-tracking the process of the return of the deceased's body to Pakistan.
Later, the Chairperson of the Independent Policing Oversight Authority, Kenya Anne Makori held a press conference and confirmed that on the evening of October 23, a Pakistani journalist, named Arshad Muhammad Sharif, 50, was shot dead by the Kenyan police within the limits of Kajiado County.
"Our Rapid Response team has already been dispatched to the site of the incident," she said, adding that a probe related to the incident is underway and that the Independent Policing Oversight Authority will carry out a transparent investigation into the killing of Sharif.
A press statement was also released by the Office of the Inspector-General National Police Service in Nairobi, Kenya, in which details related to the incident were provided.
"NPS regrets to announce an incident last night along Kwenia farm/Kamukuru maram road with Magadi, Kajiado, where a foreign national namely Arshad Muhammad Sharif, aged 50, was fatally wounded by a police officer while a passenger in a motor vehicle KDG 200M. At the time of the incident, the deceased was in the company of his brother namely Khurram Ahmed."
"Incident follows a circulation from Pangani Police of a stolen motor vehicle. The officers trailing the motor vehicle towards Magadi alerted police in Magadi who erected a road barrier," the statement added.
"Deceased's motor vehicle came upon the police barrier which they drove through. It is then they were shot at, fatally injuring late Arshad Muhammad Sharif."
"National Police Service regrets this unfortunate incident. Competent authorities are currently investigating the incident for appropriate action. The Ag. inspector-General on behalf of the Service condoles with the family and friends of the deceased."
Earlier today, Minister for Information Marriyum Aurangzeb visited slain senior journalist Arshad Sharif's family to condole with them for their loss.
Sharif was shot dead in Kenya when police, tracking down a jacked car, opened indiscriminate fire on the journalists’ automobile mistaking it for the stolen vehicle, also suspected to have a minor hostage in it, when it sped through a manned roadblock without stopping, according to a Kenyan police report.
Aurangzeb gave Sharif’s family her word that the government would not stop at anything until justice was served.
“Sharif was traveling an hour away from the Kenyan capital Nairobi. According to the initial reports, Kenyan police waved had Sharif’s car to stop,” the information minister said speaking to journalists outside Sharif’s home in the federal capital.
Warning against any unwarranted speculations, the minister stressed waiting for the Kenyan government’s official investigative stance on the tragic incident.
“Sharif’s body has been positively identified. Prime Minister has issued official directives for the interior to dig into the matter, tasking the relevant authorities to repatriate the remains of the journalist as soon as possible,” the minister said adding,” Nothing can be said with certainty before Kenya’s official response to the matter”.