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Slain journalist Arshad Sharif was brutally tortured for several hours before he was shot dead, according to postmortem reports, a private TV channel reported on Wednesday evening.

A journalist hosting the show also claimed that Sharif had been shot at close range and that it was not a case of mistaken identity but a "planned murder".

He further claimed that the slain journalist had his fingernails pulled out and his fingers and ribs broken during the torture.

The senior journalist further stated on his show that on the day of Sharif"s murder, approximately "10 American instructors and trainers" were present at the shooting range.

According to the show"s host, Sharif"s contact in Kenya, Khurram, decided to take the longer route back to the city on the day of the murder instead of the frequently used Magadi Highway on October 23.

The private television program further claimed that Kenyan authorities were also uncooperative in the investigation, adding that they also avoided providing information about those present at the shooting range.

Sharif was shot dead on the outskirts of the Kenyan city of Nairobi on October 23. His death sent shockwaves across human rights organisations, the media fraternity and civil society, prompting calls for a thorough investigation and the release of the facts.

Earlier, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said evidence indicated Sharif was the victim of a targeted killing in Kenya, not a random shooting, although he still needed more information about the incident.

Kenyan police spokesman Bruno Shioso declined to comment on the minister"s comments on the TV journalist"s death.

A police report a day after the shooting said officers hunting car thieves opened fire on the vehicle Sharif was riding in as it drove through their roadblock without stopping.

Shioso said the case is now being investigated by the police watchdog, the state"s Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA). An IPOA spokesman did not immediately respond to a call and message seeking comment.

The government set up an investigation team to look into the matter, sparking an uproar in the country. The minister said the team had returned from Kenya, but the Kenyan police had not yet given all of Sharif"s recovered belongings to Pakistani investigators.