Pakistani PM phones Ruto over death of journalist Arshad Sharif

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has urged Kenya's President William Ruto to speed up investigations of murdered Pakistani Journalist Arshad Sharif.

In a Tweet, the prime minister said that he had spoken with Dr Ruto over the phone.

"Just had a telephonic call with Kenyan President William Ruto about the tragic death of Arshad Sharif in Kenya,"  he wrote. 

Mr Sharif noted that the president had promised to fast-track the process of repatriating the remains of the slain journalist.

Transparent investigation

Further, he revealed that he had urged Dr Ruto to ensure a fair and transparent investigation into the incident which he called shocking.

The Kenya Editor's Guild also released a statement condoling the

family of Sharif and appealed for speedy investigations.

"While we wait for all details on the killing, we call upon the

government to quickly and thoroughly investigate the case to determine the cause and reason for the killing and bring those responsible to book. This would not only demonstrate Kenya’s and the Government’s ability to protect its citizens and visitors but also assure Kenyans and the international community that Kenya is safe for everyone, including journalists whose rights it should protect," KEG said in the statement.

Remained sceptical

However, many Kenyans in the comment section under the Prime Minister's  tweet remained sceptical that indeed quick investigations would be conducted.

"Wastage of your energy and time. Kenyan government can’t even investigate deaths of its own citizens who died mysteriously so send your own investigative team to Nairobi, Kenya otherwise you will be forced to wait for Julie Ward’s case to be concluded first," said one user.

Journalist Sharif was reportedly shot dead as he and his brother drove from Magadi town to Nairobi, police said.