Arshad Sharif, prominent journalist who fled Pakistan, killed in shooting in Kenya - CNN

Nairobi CNN Business  — 

Arshad Sharif, a salient Pakistani writer who fled the state aft helium was charged with sedition, has died successful Kenya aft helium was changeable by constabulary responding to reports of a stolen vehicle, authorities said.

“The officers trailing the centrifugal conveyance … alerted constabulary successful Magadi who erected a roadworthy barrier,” Bruno Isohi Shioso, a spokesperson for Kenya’s National Police Service, said successful a statement.

Sharif’s car allegedly drove done the roadworthy obstruction and “it is past that they were changeable at,” Shioso said. Sharif was “fatally wounded by a constabulary officer,” helium said, adding that the incidental was being investigated.

According to a constabulary study seen by Kenyan nationalist quality outlet The Nation, the roadblock had been acceptable up aft reports of a kidnapping that progressive a car bearing a akin licence sheet fig to that of Sharif’s.

Kenya’s Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA), a civilian watchdog organization, said it has already started investigating the incident.

“I mislaid friend, hubby and my favourite writer @arsched today, arsenic per constabulary helium was changeable successful Kenya,” Sharif’s wife, Javeria Siddique, tweeted Monday.

Sharif fled Pakistan successful August owed to sedition charges leveled against him for allegedly criticizing authorities institutions and “abetting mutiny” wrong the military.

He had interviewed absorption person Shahbaz Gill, a adjacent state of erstwhile Prime Minister Imran Khan. Following the interview, Gill was besides charged with sedition by the Pakistani constabulary for making what they assertion were “anti-state comments.”

Sharif’s transmission ARY initially claimed that it was “being hounded by the contiguous regime,” but past said it had chopped ties with Sharif aft it was taken disconnected aerial for astir a period connected August 8 by the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority.

Sharif had to “flee Pakistan successful August to prevention his life,” a adjacent subordinate of his told CNN. He had initially gone to Dubai but was forced to fly from the UAE owed to “harassment by Pakistani officials,” the subordinate added.

Sharif had “only been successful Kenya for a fewer weeks since that is 1 of the fewer places Pakistani passport holders don’t request a visa for entry,” the subordinate said.

Pakistan’s embassy officials successful Nairobi are waiting for a the constabulary report, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

Though not technically nether subject regularisation today, Pakistan has been ruled by the subject for overmuch of its 75-year history.

The Foreign Press Association, Africa (FPA Africa) said it is “deeply disturbed” by Sharif’s killing, particularly the circumstances successful which helium died.

“Sharif’s decease has robbed the media fraternity globally of a dedicated and forthright journalist,” FPA Africa said successful a statement.

The relation added that it is calling connected authorities successful Kenya to analyse the incidental and thereby guarantee “foreign journalists based successful the state and covering Africa, including those who sojourn connected duty and different nonrecreational undertakings that they’re safe.”

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan tweeted connected Monday that “a long, grim grounds of convulsive tactics to soundlessness journalists explicate wherefore the reported execution of writer Arshad Sharif successful Kenya has sent daze waves done the writer community.”

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif tweeted that helium was “deeply saddened by the shocking news” of Sharif’s death. Shehbaz besides said helium had a telephone speech with Kenyan President William Ruto and “I requested him to guarantee just & transparent probe into shocking incident. He promised all-out assistance including fast-tracking the process of instrumentality of the body” to Pakistan.