Nearly two months after leaving Pakistan, a prominent Pakistani investigative journalist critical of the country's powerful military was killed in Kenya.
"I lost a friend, husband, and my favorite journalist today," Javeria Siddique tweeted about her husband Arshad Sharif's death on Sunday night.
The 49-year-old journalist fled the country in August to avoid arrest after being charged with multiple offenses, including sedition, in connection with an interview with Shahbaz Gill, a close aide to former Prime Minister Imran Khan, during which Gill made comments considered offensive to the military.
He moved to Dubai in August, claiming harassment by state institutions and threats to his life, and later relocated to Kenya.
In August, the channel ARY, for which Sharif had worked for the previous eight years, was briefly taken off the air for broadcasting "false, hateful, and seditious" content. The channel announced its departure from the journalist, who was one of its top prime-time news anchors, in late August.
Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed "sadness" at Arshad Sharif's death, adding that they were in contact with Kenyan officials about the matter.
According to the ministry, Pakistan's envoy to Kenya, along with embassy officials, identified the body at the Chiromo Funeral House in Nairobi and are now awaiting further procedures and a police report.
"In coordination with the host authorities, the High Commission will facilitate the expeditious repatriation of Mr. Sharif's mortal remains," the statement said.
According to Kenyan media, local police officials said the shooting was the result of "mistaken identity."
Bruno Shioso, a spokesman for Kenya's National Police Service, confirmed the incident and told Al Jazeera that local authorities are currently investigating the murder.
"Our competent authorities are currently conducting an investigation and cannot comment further at this time." In due course, we will also issue a preliminary statement," he said.
According to the Kenyan newspaper The Star, Sharif's car was fired upon after failing to stop at a roadblock on the Nairobi-Magadi highway.
The Islamabad High Court has ordered authorities to provide them with a report on the circumstances of the death as soon as possible.
Sharif, who was once considered close to Pakistan's powerful military establishment, became a harsh critic after former Prime Minister Khan's government was deposed in April.
Inquiry Request
Condolences poured in from all corners after Sharif's death was announced on social media early Monday.
Pakistan President Arif Alvi, who bestowed one of Pakistan's highest civilian honors on Sharif in 2019, expressed his condolences, saying his death was a great loss to journalism and Pakistan.
Pakistan's Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, also expressed shock at the journalist's death.
"I am deeply saddened by the tragic death of journalist Arshad Sharif." May Allah SWT grant him eternal life. "My heartfelt condolences and prayers go out to the bereaved family," he tweeted early Monday morning.
Pakistan's Human Rights Commission demanded an immediate investigation into Sharif's death.
"A long and bleak history of using violence to silence journalists explains why the reported murder of journalist Arshad Sharif in Kenya has sent shockwaves through the journalist community." "The government must conduct an immediate and transparent investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death," the organization said in a statement.
Pakistan has a history of repression of the media and violence against journalists.
Last month, the US expressed concern about press freedoms in Pakistan after Pakistani authorities briefly blocked coverage of ARY, which is seen as sympathetic to former Prime Minister Khan, in August.
ALJAZEERA