A Pakistani journalist living in hiding in Kenya was shot by the police during a roadblock where he sped instead of stopping.
The Kenyan police expressed regret over the incident, saying it was a case of “mistaken identity” during a search for a similar car involved in a case of child abduction.
Arshad Sharif, 50, is a top critic of the South Asian military and a critic of the government of Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif.
Speaking on the incident, the Kenyan police say that Sharif was shot only after he attempted to speed over the roadblocks the police set up to check vehicles.
Sharif left Pakistan in July to avoid arrest or probably killing, following a citizen’s complaint against him on allegations of maligning the country’s national institutions.
His whereabouts were not publicly known, although most of his friends knew only that he had spent time in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, and London.
A senior Kenyan police officer said:
“We had an incident of shooting which turned (out) to be a case of mistaken identity involving a journalist. We will release more information later.”
Pakistani President Arif Alvi, Prime Minister Sharif, who is not related to the slain journalist, the country’s military and other senior officials in Pakistan expressed their condolences.
Later Monday, dozens of journalists rallied in Islamabad over the killing and demanded justice for Sharif.
Pakistan has long been an unsafe country for journalists. In 2020, it ranked ninth on the Committee to Protect Journalists’ annual Global Impunity Index.
The Kenyan police have expressed regret in multiple statements, acknowledging that it was an accident and they only shot when he attempted to speed off.
