Body found in Swedish river identified as exiled Pakistani journalist

A body that was found in a Swedish river last month has been identified as a Pakistani journalist who was exiled in the Scandinavian nation.

Sajid Hussain, 39, went missing on March 2, last seen getting onto a train in Stockholm en route to Uppsala to pick up keys for his new apartment. He had been studying Arabic and lecturing at Uppsala University since January this year.

However, according to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Mr Hussain never got off the train, and it was suspected he was abducted "at the behest of a Pakistani intelligence agency".

Swedish police said they are "still waiting for a few more answers", after an investigation into the circumstances around Mr Hussain's death explores the possibility of foul play.

Mr Hussain left Pakistan in 2012 after his reporting on government corruption, disappearances and human rights violations made him a controversial figure. Pakistani police raided his house, and he began receiving anonymous death threats, leading him to leave the country for Europe.

The paper, Balochistan Times, at which Mr Hussain was formerly the editor and publisher, released a statement after news of his death in Sweden.

"Staff are deeply saddened by the demise of our dear friend and the founder of this magazine," the statement read.

"As a journalist, (Hussain) was compassionate and wrote extensively on the suffering of the Baloch people. His work often got him into trouble as the authorities did not like his reporting of Balochistan's forbidden stories, the reason he had to leave and live in exile."