Pakistani Investigative Journalist, Arshad Sharif On Exile From Country Shot Dead In Kenya | Sahara Reporters https://t.co/LhPrsyt0K1 pic.twitter.com/s3b0CyFY5w
— Sahara Reporters (@SaharaReporters) October 24, 2022
Arshad Sharif, a frequent critic of the Pak military establishment who fled Pakistain to avoid arrest over sedition charges a few months back, has been rubbed out in Kenya.
Arshad who was one of Pakistain’s most prominent investigative journalists was rubbed out in what police described as "a case of mistaken identity," police in the East African country and relatives confirmed Monday.
| Mistaken identity? That’s ok, then. |
The slain journalist, with two million Twitter followers, fled Pakistain in August, citing death threats and multiple court cases launched against him and several other journalists on controversial sedition charges.
Sharif hosted a popular political talk show "Power Play" for years on one of Pakistain’s leading television channels, the ARY news, before leaving the country, according to VOA.
The news of Sharif’s death spread fast in Pakistain where condolences and condemnations started pouring in from across the country.
Journalists, opposition politicians, lawyers, and rights groups described his death as "shocking and disturbing," urging the Pak government to swiftly investigate circumstances surrounding the deadly incident in Kenya.
Sharif's wife Javeria Siddique in her tweet on Monday informed that his husband died in Kenya after being shot.
"I lost friend, husband and my favourite journalist today, as per police he was shot in Kenya. Respect our privacy and in the name of breaking pls don't share our family pics, personal details and his last pictures from hospital. Remember us in ur prayers."
The Pakistain's foreign ministry which confirmed the incident said that the High Commissioner accordingly contacted the police authorities and bigwigs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other departments.
"Paks of Kenyan Origin were also mobilised. The Mission was informed that the body was in Chiromo Funeral House in Nairobi.
"The High Commissioner along with Mission's officers reached the location, and has identified the body of Mr. Sharif," the foreign ministry said.
Arshad who is one of Pakistain's top news anchors was a supporter of former prime minister.
The former prime minister was ousted from power in April this year in a parliamentary no-confidence vote collectively moved by opposition parties.
Critics often dubbed the slain journalist sympathetic to Khan, who blames without evidence Prime Minister Sharif and the military for colluding with the United States to topple his government.
The former Pakistain Imran Khan
...aka The Great Khan, who isn't your heaviest-duty thinker, maybe not even among the top five...
on Monday condemned the killing of senior journalist Arshad Sharif.
"Shocked at the brutal murder of Arshad Sharif who paid the ultimate price for speaking the truth - his life. He had to leave the country and be in hiding abroad but he continued to speak the truth on social media, exposing the powerful. Today the entire nation mourns his death," Khan tweeted.
The Pakistain Tehrik-e-Insaf
...a political party in Pakistan. PTI was founded by former Pakistani cricket captain and philanthropist Imran Khan. The party's slogan is
Justice, Humanity and Self Esteem, each of which is open to widely divergent interpretations....
(PTI) chief has called for a proper judicial investigation in the case. "We have descended into a state of brutality, unknown in civilised society, indulged in by the powerful against those who dare to criticise and expose wrongdoings," he said in a subsequent tweet.
"Shocked at the brutal murder of Arshad Sharif who paid the ultimate price for speaking the truth — his life. He had to leave the country & be in hiding abroad but he continued to speak the truth on social media, exposing the powerful. Today the entire nation mourns his death," the deposed prime minister wrote on Twitter.
"We have descended into a state of brutality, unknown in civilised society, indulged in by the powerful against those who dare to criticise & expose wrongdoings," Khan said but did not elaborate.
In August, news agency AFP had reported that Sharif had interviewed senior opposition politician Shahbaz Gill, who said that junior officers in the armed forces should not follow orders that went against "the will of the majority".
Following the comment, the news channel being briefly taken off air and an arrest warrant being issued for Sharif, who left the country. Even the channel ARY later said it had "cut ties" with him.
With this, Gill was detained and Khan's criticism of the judiciary for the detention led to his own court appearances.
"ARY anchorperson Arshad Sharif embraced martyrdom after he was rubbed out in Kenya... the local police is investigating," ARY TV tweeted on Monday.
In the press freedom index compiled by Reporters without Borders, Pakistain is ranked 157 out of 180 countries in the world.
Sharif was last spotted in London a few days back after arriving from Dubai.