Killing of Pakistani journalist in Kenya was ‘targeted’ attack, minister says
The Pakistani journalist who was killed in Kenya has been described as a “key voice for freedom”
Kadim Joseph, a journalist and editor with Pakistan’s Voice of America – who worked for the Pakistani-American Voice Foundation, was gunned down on Thursday.
Joseph was shot at close range at his office in the capital Nairobi.
“The killing of our journalist in Kenya is no less than a targeted attack on media freedom in Pakistan,” said Imran Khan, Pakistan’s prime minister.
Joseph, a reporter, editor-in-chief and producer with Pakistan’s Voice of America, was shot dead on Thursday (Photo: Twitter)
Khan called the killing of Joseph a “despicable act of violence” and said the attack on the journalist was a “targeted attack.”
Joseph, 32, shot to fame after receiving the 2006 Knight International Journalism Award in London.
Joseph – who was born in Lahore, the capital of Pakistan, but grew up in New Zealand – was a popular voice for international and domestic news.
He often addressed audiences at events, including in Kenya, and the Pakistan community, working with the Pakistani American Voice Foundation, for which he was known. He also worked as a freelancer.
Joseph had worked as a freelance videographer and photojournalist in Kenya.
He was also a frequent contributor to the Pakistan-based newspaper, Dawn.
The Daily Telegraph in the UK said that it believed Joseph’s killing had been “unintentionally” staged, however.
Police say Joseph was at his office on Tuesday evening when a car fired on him.
He was taken to Kenyatta National Hospital where he was pronounced dead.
Police told Reuters the journalist had been shot in the abdomen.
In a statement, the Pakistan government said: “The killing of our journalist in Kenya is no less than a targeted attack on media freedom in Pakistan.”
A US State Department spokeswoman said there was “no indication at this time that this was the work of al Qaeda or affiliated groups.”
Speaking in the US in a statement, she said: “We are concerned by reports of violence against media workers in Pakistan. Pakistan is a country of great diversity, and has one of the strongest and most independent media ecosystems in the world. We urge Pakistan’s government to bring