ISLAMABAD    -   Journalist and TV an­chorperson Arshad Shar­if was shot dead by the Kenyan police in a ‘mis­taken identity’ case when was travelling from Mag­dai town to Nairobi, Ken­ya, late Sunday night.

The Foreign Office con­firmed the death of Ar­shad Sharif and said Paki­stan’s high commissioner to Kenya, along with oth­er officials, reached Chi­romo Funeral House in Nairobi where his wife identified Sharif’s body.

A statement released by the National Police Service of Kenya later con­firmed the incident.

“At the time of the incident, the deceased was in compa­ny of his brother namely Khu­rram Ahmed. The incident fol­lows a circulation from Pangani Police of a stolen motor vehicle. The officers trailing the motor vehicle towards Magadi alerted police in Magadi who erected a road barrier,” it said.

The police service stated that the deceased’s motor vehi­cle came upon the police bar­rier that Sharif’s driver “drove through”. “It is then that they were shot at, fatally injuring late Arshad Sharif.”

The Kenyan police further said that it regretted the inci­dent, adding that the competent authorities were investigating the incident for appropriate ac­tion. Later in the day, Chairper­son of Kenya’s Independent Po­licing Oversight Authority, Ann Makori, told local media that a “rapid response team” had been dispatched to investigate the killing of the journalist.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif phoned Pres­ident of Kenya, William Ruto, and expressed serious concern on the part of Pakistani people and journalism fraternity over the death of senior journalist Arshad Sharif in that country and emphasized on impartial and transparent investigation into the incident.

He also requested the Ken­yan President to complete the regulatory procedures for re­turn of Arshad Sharif’s dead body to Pakistan. Expressing his deep regret over the inci­dent, the Kenyan President as­sured that demands of justice will be fulfilled in the case and an investigative report will be released soon.

He also assured Shehbaz that process of the dead body’s re­turn to Pakistan will be com­pleted at the earliest.

Meanwhile, talking to media, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhu­tto Zardari also said that the Foreign Office was fully cooper­ating in Arshad Sharif case.

He condemned the killing and said it was being investigated and Acting Foreign Secretary was in touch with the Kenyan authorities and the High Com­missioner in Pakistan.

“We all sympathise with the family of Arshad Sharif. I con­dole with the family members, friends and colleagues of jour­nalist Arshad Sharif,” he said.

The Foreign Minister said the government fully believed in human rights and freedom of expression. Meanwhile, Foreign Office said the government of Pakistan was actively engaged with the Kenyan authorities at multiple levels for speedy repa­triation of the mortal remains of Arshad Sharif.

FO spokesperson Asim If­tikhar Ahmed said that the Min­istry of Foreign Affairs and the Pakistan High Commission in Nairobi remain in constant con­tact to facilitate and expedite the process. “The High Commis­sion will facilitate expeditious repatriation of mortal remains of Arshad Sharif in coordina­tion with the host authorities,” the statement said. 

Meanwhile, Information Min­ister Marriyum Aurangzeb said that the prime minister had taken notice of the incident and instructed the foreign and inte­rior ministries to complete all procedural work at the earliest and conduct an “end-to-end in­vestigation” into the killing.

She instructed the media to verify the information in the in­cident. “This is beyond politics. Don’t play dirty politics here. A person has lost his life […] think about his family.”

President Dr Arif Alvi termed Sharif’s death a loss for journal­ism and Pakistan. “May his soul rest in peace and may his fami­ly, which includes his followers, have the strength to bear this loss,” Alvi said.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Shar­if said he was deeply saddened. He offered condolences and prayers for the journalist’s fam­ily. The military’s public affairs wing also issued a condolence message on what it said was the “unexpected death” of the se­nior journalist. “May Allah raise the ranks of Arshad Sharif,” the Inter-Services Public Relations statement said.

It also prayed for “courage and fortitude for Sharif’s family in this moment of grief”.

Meanwhile, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) has directed the Secretaries for Foreign Af­fairs and Interior ministries to immediately meet Arshad Shar­if’s family. A single bench of IHC comprising Chief Justice of IHC Justice Athar Minallah issued the directions while hearing an application seeking a probe into the matter. In this regard, Bar­rister Shoaib Razzaq moved a petition before the high court requesting formation of a com­mission to investigate the cir­cumstances under which the se­nior journalist left the country.

He added that the security agencies should be ordered to liaise with Kenyan agencies for a thorough investigation.

PTI Chairman Imran Khan de­manded a judicial inquiry into the murder of Arshad Sharif.

In a statement, Khan demand­ed that a proper judicial inquiry should be initiated to examine Arshad Sharif’s statements and evidence from other sources.

Imran Khan stated that Ar­shad’s murder has sent shock­waves across Pakistan