The exiled Pakistani Journalist Arshad Sharif was shot dead in Kenya, his wife lamented on Monday.
Sharif’s alleged murder comes as the Times of India reports that two Indians, Zulfiqar Ahmad Khan and his friend Mohamed Zaid Sami Kidwai, who was involved in Kenyan President William Ruto’s digital campaign and went missing in Kenya in July, were killed by the directorate of criminal investigations unit, which has since been disbanded. Details of their deaths are still unclear.
According to Sharif’s family, he was shot. This information comes amid accusations that the nation’s disbanded “directorate of criminal investigations” squad assassinated two Indians who were a part of a digital campaign by Kenyan President William Ruto.
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Sharif was a frequent critic of the powerful military establishment and supporter of former prime minister Imran Khan, who was ousted in a parliamentary no-confidence vote in April.
“I lost a friend, husband, and my favorite journalist today. As per police, he was shot in Kenya,” his wife, Javeria Siddique, tweeted on Monday.
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
Senior opposition lawmaker Shahbaz Gill stated in an interview with Arshad Sharif in August that young military personnel shouldn’t obey instructions that go against “the opinion of the majority.”
The news channel was briefly taken off the air as a result of the remark, and Sharif, who had already left the country, had an arrest order issued.
Meanwhile, Kenyan media said that Sharif was shot dead by police in a case of “mistaken identity.” According to the report, the event occurred on Sunday night along the Nairobi-Magadi highway.
“ARY anchorperson Arshad Sharif embraced martyrdom after he was shot dead in Kenya. The local police are investigating,” ARY TV tweeted Monday.
Over the course of Pakistan’s 75-year history, the military has dominated the country for several decades, and criticism of the security establishment has long been considered as a red line.
It was confirmed by Pakistan’s foreign ministry. Reporters without Borders’ estimate of press freedom place Pakistan at number 157 out of 180 nations, where censorship and harassment of journalists are commonplace.
Shortly afterward Sharif’s stint at ARY ended. DAWN has noted that the company stated that it expected “its employees’ conduct on social media to be in line with the company policy” without specifying a social media post in particular.
Arshad Sharif had left Pakistan for Dubai and according to reports, was also in London for a while.
