Prominent Pakistani journalist shot dead in Kenya

Arshad Sharif, a well-known Pakistani journalist was shot dead in Nairobi, Kenya when police, hunting car thieves, opened fire on the vehicle he was travelling in, said a Kenyan police report on Monday (October 24). The report said that the car drove through roadblock set up by the police without stopping.

A Kenyan police watchdog has said it is investigating the incident, which happened at 10 pm(1900 GMT) on Sunday on the outskirts of the capital.

The Star newspaper quoted a senior police officer who said that the shooting was being treated as a case of mistaken identity.

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Sharif worked for many years as a prime time television news show host for ARY News in Pakistan and had recently fled the country citing threats to his life. It was not immediately clear when he had arrived in Kenya.

The police report said a relative of Sharif had been driving the car. It said police had formed a roadblock using small stones, but the car drove through without stopping, even after officers opened fire. Nine bullets hit the car, and one hit Sharif in the head.

Kenya's Independent Police Oversight Authority, a civilian watchdog, has started an investigation into Sharif's killing, its chairwoman Ann Makori told journalists in a news conference on Monday.

"There's an alleged police killing of a Pakistani national at Tinga market, Kajiado county, last evening. Our rapid response team has already been dispatched," she said.

Pakistan's High Commissioner to Kenya Saqlain Syedah said a post-mortem had been performed and her government was trying to send Sharif's body back to his family in Pakistan.

"I have requested the government of Kenya to do an intensive investigation and to find out the reason behind it," she said.

(With inputs from agencies)

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