Arshad Sharif, 49, was a vocal critic of Pakistan's all-powerful military and a supporter of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, ousted in April by a no-confidence motion.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has announced that he has spoken to Kenyan President William Ruto, asking for "a fair and transparent investigation into this shocking incident".

Mr Ruto "promised full cooperation, including an expedited process for the return of the body to Pakistan", he said.

Kenyan police spokesman Bruno Shioso said in a statement "we regret this unfortunate incident".

He explained that Arshad Sharif had been "mortally wounded" on Sunday evening by fire from a policeman after the car in which he was the passenger had crossed without stopping a police roadblock erected in the Magadi region, at a forty kilometers from the capital Nairobi.

According to a police report seen by AFP, the car was hit by nine bullets before continuing on its way to the home of another Pakistani citizen, where his death from "a gunshot wound to the head which had penetrated from behind" was found.

The report adds that at the time of the events, the police had set up this roadblock while looking for a stolen car and an abducted person.

Sedition charges

In August, Mr. Sharif had interviewed on the channel Ary News a close adviser to Imran Khan, Shahbaz Gill, who had on this occasion urged the officers of the army to disobey orders contrary "to the will of the majority (of the people)".

These statements had been considered seditious by the authorities.

Ary News was then briefly prevented from broadcasting and an arrest warrant was issued for Mr Sharif, who had by then left the country.

The channel later announced that it had "cut (its) ties" with the presenter.

Mr. Gill had been arrested after his interview.

Mr Khan then claimed that his adviser had been tortured and sexually abused in custody, which had resulted in his several court appearances, on charges of contempt of court and breaking the law counter-terrorism then abandoned.

"I lost a friend, a husband and my favorite journalist today," Sharif's wife, Javeria Siddique, tweeted on Monday.

Criticism of the military and powerful security services has long been seen as a red line in Pakistan, ranked among the world's most dangerous countries for media workers.

Pakistan occupies 157th place out of 180 in the latest press freedom ranking compiled by Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

"Troubling Murder"

RSF said in a tweet that Mr. Sharif had been shot in “extremely hazy circumstances” and called for an international UN investigation into “this disturbing murder”.

It is "all the more worrying that this journalist had just left his country to avoid harassment and arrest", adds the organization.

RSF's call was echoed by the Kenya Editors' Guild, saying those responsible should be brought to justice.

"This would not only demonstrate the ability of Kenya and the government to protect its citizens and visitors, but would also assure Kenyans and the international community that Kenya is a safe country for everyone, including the journalists whom it should protect. rights."

In early October, the Kenyan president pledged to overhaul Kenya's security forces and disband a police unit accused of extrajudicial executions.

According to the Missing Voices association, which campaigns against extrajudicial executions in Kenya, there have been 1,264 deaths at the hands of the police since 2017.

© 2022 AFP