Pakistani official says killing of journalist in Kenya appears targeted

Pakistan’s interior minister said on Tuesday that a Pakistani journalist killed in Kenya last month appears to have been targeted. Kenyan police shot and killed the journalist, 50 year old Arshad Sharif, near Nairobi on October 23.

Police had stated that Sharif was shot after he failed to stop at a roadblock. They also said that it had been a case of mistaken identity.

Pakistani Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah has accused Kenyan police of “not cooperating” with the fact-finding team, saying “important data” about the case had not been handed over by Kenyan authorities. Sanaullah says there has been a formal request to obtain the information.

Sanaullah told reporters on Tuesday that a two-member fact-finding team travelled to Kenya on behalf of the Pakistani government to look into the case. He told a press conference…

“We have sought a briefing from the inquiry team which visited Kenya and from the information they gave, it looks like this was a targeted attack, and not a case of mistaken identity.”

Sanaullah noted, however, that more evidence was needed to confirm this.

Kenyan police told CNN they were unaware Pakistani officials had made any allegations about non-cooperation. The police said that if there were any complaints, they would have to be made formally.

Sharif specialised in investigative journalism, and he was also a news anchor. Sharif had been known as a vocal critic of Pakistan’s military, particularly after the removal of former PM Imran Khan through a parliamentary vote of no confidence in April.

Sharif faced sedition charges in August related to an interview that he conducted with the close aid of Khan. Khan fled from Pakistan to Kenya that month.