— PM Shehbaz grieved, contacts Kenyan President for probe
— Imran demands ‘proper judicial investigation’, says Pakistan ‘descended into a state of brutality’
ISLAMABAD: Arshad Sharif, a journalist fiercely critical of the government of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) and was on the run after being charged with sedition for criticising the military, was shot dead, allegedly by police, near Kenya’s capital city of Nairobi in the wee hours of Monday.
“I lost friend, husband and my favourite journalist today […] as per police, he was shot in Kenya,” Javeria Siddique, the spouse of the journalist tweeted on early Monday morning.
I lost friend, husband and my favourite journalist @arsched 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. pic.twitter.com/wP1BJxqP5e— Javeria Siddique (@javerias) October 24, 2022
Murder under mysterious circumstances:
Mystery shrouds the murder of Arshad Sharif who was working on a documentary to expose the alleged corruption of Nawaz Sharif family.
“There is an alleged police killing of a Pakistani national,” Anne Makori, head of the Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA) in Nairobi, told reporters on Monday.
“Our rapid response team has already been dispatched to investigate the killing of the journalist,” she said.
A Kenyan senior police officer was quoted in the media saying, “we had an incident of shooting which turned out to be a case of mistaken identity involving a journalist. We will release more information later”.
However, some Kenyan journalists and lawyers have raised various questions about police claims on their Twitter accounts.
Eliud Kibbii, a Kenyan journalist, wrote that the police statement on the killing of Arshad Sharif had too many gaps.
“First, if it was a case of a stolen vehicle, the number plates of the stolen car and the one Arshad was are different. They don’t say the make (of the car). By the time of the incident, the ‘abducted’ son had been found”.
The police statement on the #ArshadShariff killing has too many gaps. First, if it was a case of a stolen vehicle, the number plates of the stolen car and the one Arshad was are different. They don't say the make. By the time of the incident, the "abducted" son had been found. 1/
— Eliud Kibii (@eliudkibii) October 24, 2022
In a subsequent tweet, Eliud stated that the Police now say the road was blocked “with small stones” and on passing them, there was a shooting by GSU officers.
“Interestingly, no chase to recover the “stolen” vehicle is reported. We have a problem here,” he added.
The driver was his brother, Khurram Ahmed. They now say the road was blocked "with small stones" and on passing them, there was a shooting by GSU officers. Interestingly, no chase to recover the "stolen" vehicle is reported. We have a problem here.
— Eliud Kibii (@eliudkibii) October 24, 2022
Investigative journalist Brian Obuya has alleged that Sharif’s body was found several kilometers away from where the police say the shooting occurred.
Further details on the matter are expected to come forward as the Independent Policing Oversight Authority will take over the case.
Meanwhile, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has urged the government to “pursue an immediate, transparent inquiry into the circumstances of his [Sharif’s] death.”
Sharif was a frequent critic of the military establishment and supporter of former prime minister Imran Khan. He went into exile — first in Dubai and later in London — after his last employer, ARY News, fired him in September.
At the time, colleague and senior journalist Imran Riaz Khan, himself a victim of notorious sedition laws, said Sharif was receiving death threats. It wasn’t immediately clear when and why he traveled to the East African country.
FO to facilitate early return of Arshad Sharif’s body
The Foreign Office (FO) of Pakistan has expressed its condolences on the sudden demise of senior journalist Arshad Sharif and said that the Pakistani High Commission in Kenya will facilitate the early return of his body.
The Foreign Office’s condolence statement on the martyrdom of Pakistan’s senior journalist and former anchorperson of ARY News Arshad Sharif said that the Pakistani High Commissioner received the initial information of his death on the morning of October 24, after which the HC contacted Kenyan police officials, ministry of foreign affairs and the office of the Kenyan vice president.
According to the FO spokesman, after receiving information about the incident, the people of the High Commission mission reached the spot and got information about the incident and identified the body.
Later, Kenyan media reported that Arshad Sharif was shot by the local police in a case of ‘mistaken identity.’
Briefing the media on the development, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said that Pakistan’s ambassador to Kenya, Syeda Saqlain, Kenyan police officials and doctors are currently at the mortuary in Nairobi where the ambassador has identified Sharif’s body.
The minister also said that after identification, the process to repatriate the deceased has been initiated. She also added that Kenyan authorities have been requested to complete the regulatory process as soon as possible.
PM Shehbaz phones Kenyan President to press for impartial probe into Arshad Sharif’s killing
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday phoned President of Kenya, William Ruto and expressed serious concern on the part of Pakistani people and journalist fraternity over the death of senior journalist Arshad Sharif in that country.
He emphasized on impartial and transparent investigation into the incident. The Prime Minister requested the Kenyan President to complete the regulatory procedures for return of Arshad Sharif’s dead body.
Expressing his deep regret over the incident, the Kenyan President assured that demands of justice will be fulfilled in the case and an investigative report will be released soon.
He also assured Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif that process of dead body’s return to Pakistan will be completed at the earliest.
SEDITION CHARGES
In August, police booked Sharif, ARY Group chief Salman Iqbal, and the channel’s Head of News Ammad Yousaf, among others, for sedition over an interview by Shahbaz Gill, then-chief of staff to former prime minister Imran Khan, wherein he’d called on servicemen to follow the Constitution, broadcast on the channel on August 8.
The following day, the Ministry of Interior cancelled the channel’s no-objection certificate (NoC) citing “adverse reports from agencies” as the reason behind the decision, a decision later reversed on the order of the Sindh High Court (SHC).
Subsequently, the ARY Group announced it had “parted ways” with Sharif without citing a specific reason but stating that it expects its employees’ conduct on social media to be in line with its policy. The popular TV station, however, did not mention the specific social media post for which Sharif was let go.
Days later, Sharif left the country.
He was awarded the Pride of Performance honour for his work in the field of journalism by President Arif Alvi in March 2019.
Sharif is survived by his wife Siddique, five school-going children and an octogenarian mother. His father, a retired naval officer, passed away reportedly of cardiac arrest in 2011 and his only sibling, an elder brother who was an army doctor, was killed in an ambush the same year.
CONDOLENCES POUR IN
Condolences poured in from journalists and politicians on his assassination.
The prime minister said he was was “deeply saddened by the shocking news”. But conspicuously absent from his tweet was any call for an investigation of the killing.
I am deeply saddened by the shocking news of journalist Arshad Sharif’s tragic death. May Allah SWT grant him a place in Heaven. My deep condolences and prayers for the bereaved family.
— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) October 24, 2022
President Dr Arif Alvi termed the incident a loss for journalism and Pakistan. “May his soul rest in peace and may his family, which includes his followers, have the strength to bear this loss,” he said.
Arshad Sharif’s death Is a great loss to journalism and Pakistan.
May his soul rest in peace and may his family, which includes his followers, have the strength to bear this loss
إِنَّا لِلّهِ وانا الیہ راجعون— Dr. Arif Alvi (@ArifAlvi) October 24, 2022
“Shocked” Imran Khan said Sharif “paid the ultimate price for speaking the truth — his life.” He noted how the anchorperson “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.”
“A proper judicial investigation must be instituted to examine his own statements plus evidence that other sources have,” the former prime minister demanded.
“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.”
A proper judicial investigation must be instituted to examine his own statements plus evidence that other sources have. 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
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) October 24, 2022
I “can’t believe Arshad is gone. He was forced to run and now is dead. Those who were under his focus are the ones responsible for his murder [sic],” tweeted veteran journalist Shaheen Sehbai, who now lives in Washington.
“Bless you, bro. We will find out and fight [your] killers.”
CAN’T BELIEVE ARSHAD IS GONE: But those who R trying to give it a spin “without any authentic source” must stop N wait. He was forced 2run and now is dead. Those who were under his focus are the ones responsible for his murder. BLESS YOU BRO, WE WILL FIND OUT AND FIGHT UR KILLERS
— SHAHEEN SEHBAI (@SSEHBAI1) October 23, 2022
“Shocking and disturbing […] Arshad Sharif had been very close to the Pakistani military, but more recently had become a major critic of them — after the ousting of Imran Khan,” noted Secunder Kermani, former BBC correspondent in Pakistan.
Shocking and disturbing… one of Pakistan’s most prominent journalists killed in Kenya
Arshad Sharif had been very close to the Pakistani military, but more recently had become a major critic of them – after the ousting of Imran Khan
No details yet of how / why he was killed https://t.co/KKnGz5g1aM
— Secunder Kermani (@SecKermani) October 23, 2022
“We often didn’t see eye to eye. We often competed for the same stories, from the same sources; such is the world of reporting. But if Arshad Sharif has been killed — and I hope it’s just a hoax — and if his killing has been endorsed by the state, then as a nation, we’re done for,” Wajahat Saeed Khan, a reporter who is now associated with Nikkei Asia, said.
We often didn’t see eye to eye. We often competed for the same stories, from the same sources; such is the world of reporting. But if Arshad Sharif has been killed — and I hope it’s just a hoax — and if his killing has been endorsed by the state, then as a nation, we’re done for.
— Waj S. Khan (@WajSKhan) October 23, 2022
Shahzeb Khanzada, an anchorperson at Geo News, said he was “extremely sad to hear the devastating news about Arshad Sharif.”
Extremely sad to hear the devastating news about Arshad Sharif. May his soul rest in peace.. Thoughts and prayers with his family.
— Shahzeb Khanzada (@shazbkhanzdaGEO) October 23, 2022
“Devastated” Baqir Sajjad Syed, national security correspondent for Dawn, expressed hope the government will “investigate the assassination and give clarity to the nation and aid pursuit of justice.”
Devastated to wake up to news of @arsched‘s assassination. Can’t believe that it’s true.
We can only hope that @GovtofPakistan will work with Kenyan authorities to investigate the assassination & give clarity to the nation & aid pursuit of justice.#ArshadShareef #ArshadSharif #— Baqir Sajjad (@baqirsajjad) October 24, 2022
“My brother, my friend, my colleague Arshad Shareef was shot dead in Kenya. I still can’t believe it. It’s beyond heartbreaking. This is just wrong. This is painful. I love you, brother,” said Kashif Abbasi, Sharif’s former colleague at ARY News.
My brother,my friend my colleague arshad shareef was shot dead in Kenya..I still can’t believe it. It’s beyond heart breaking.this is just wrong.. this is painful.. I love u brother
— Kashif Abbasi (@Kashifabbasiary) October 23, 2022
— With AFP
