Kenyan police ‘regret’ killing Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif

The 49-year-old investigative journalist was killed when his car was shot at in what police have called a case of ‘mistaken identity.

Kenyan police have expressed regret over killing Pakistani investigative journalist Arshad Sharif, saying it was a case of “mistaken identity” during a search for a similar car involved in a child abduction case.

According to local media reports, the 49-year-old journalist was killed on Sunday night when the car he was traveling in was fired upon by police after it failed to stop at a checkpoint outside the Kenyan capital, Nairobi. He was accompanied by another Pakistani Khurram Ahmed, who was wounded in the incident.

Sharif was critical of Pakistan’s powerful military, which has ruled the country for more than half of its 75 years since independence. He left his country in August after sedition charges were filed over an interview with an opposition politician during which comments deemed offensive to the military were made.

The killing has stunned journalists in Pakistan, who have demanded a detailed probe into the incident.

Sharif’s body arrived in the capital, Islamabad, on Tuesday.

On Monday, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who is not related to the slain journalist, spoke with Kenyan President William Ruto about the incident.

Pakistani diplomats attended the Nairobi airport when the plane with Sharif’s remains took off.

Agencies