Pakistan Denies Reports It Asked UAE To Expel Journalist Who Was Killed

Pakistan's foreign ministry on Friday described as "baseless and fabricated" the reports that Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari wrote a letter to the UAE authorities to expel journalist Arshad Sharif who was killed in Kenya.

Arshad Sharif, 49, fled Pakistan in August for the UAE and later went to Kenya where he was killed on Sunday night. The Kenyan police later said it was a case of "mistaken identity" during a search for a similar car involved in a child abduction case.

His death has created a storm in Pakistan where allegations are being traded among politicians, apparently to gain political mileage.

Among those accusations were posts on social media, including by some PTI supporters, who claimed that Sharif left for Kenya when the UAE authorities refused to renew his visa on the request of Pakistani officials.

Foreign Office Spokesperson Asim Iftikhar Ahmad in his weekly briefing termed the reports totally "baseless and fabricated", saying it was essential that the journalist's murder be probed to establish the truth.

"We should wait for the investigation report of Kenyan and Pakistani inquiry committees," he said.

The spokesperson also said that Pakistan was capable of defending itself against any aggression or ill designed moves.

To a question about Islamabad's relations with London in view of the change of guard in the United Kingdom, the spokesperson said Pakistan enjoyed deep rooted relations with the UK.

"Our ties continue to grow irrespective of who is in power. Hence, our bilateral ties will further improve under UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak," he said.

Commenting on the upcoming visit of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to China, he said it was very significant as the premier will be among the first world leaders to visit the country after the 20th Congress of the Communist Party of China.

"Broad range of areas of cooperation between the two countries as well as regional and global issues will come under discussion during the visit," he said, adding that Pakistan and China will continue to work together for the peace and security of the region.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)