Arshad Sharif: Demand for investigation into death of Pakistani journalist in Kenya
After the death of Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif in Kenya, there is a demand for an investigation into the matter.
Arshad Sharif’s wife Javeria Siddique says with reference to the Kenyan police that Arshad was shot dead, but the local media of Pakistan claimed that he died as a result of an accident.
So far, no statement has been issued by the Kenyan or Pakistani authorities.
Meanwhile, President of Pakistan Dr. Arif Alvi says that the death of Arshad Sharif is a great loss for journalism and Pakistan. “May his soul rest in peace and may his family, including his followers, find strength to bear this shock.” Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has said that “I am deeply saddened by the shocking news of Arshad Sharif’s death.”
It should be remembered that in April this year, after the no-confidence motion against former Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan, Arshad Sharif had claimed that he was facing harassment from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). During his self-imposed exile, he lived in Dubai and London.
“Today I lost my husband and my favorite journalist”
Arshad’s death was confirmed by his wife on Monday morning. Jawaria Siddique wrote on Twitter that today I lost my friend, husband and favorite journalist. Jawaria Siddiq said that the police have told him that Arshad Sharif was killed in Kenya.
Jawaria has also appealed not to share Arshad Sharif’s last photo taken at a local hospital in Kenya.
Condolences were tweeted by various journalists regarding the death of Arshad Sharif in Kenya.
The news of Arshad Sharif’s death was broadcast on social media, then after that the local media of Pakistan also broadcast the news of Arshad Sharif’s death through sources. According to ARY News, Arshad Sharif, a journalist associated with his channel, has died in an accident in Kenya.
It should be remembered that a few days after Arshad Sharif went abroad, ARY made it clear that Arshad Sharif was no longer associated with ARY.
While his colleagues working in ARY expressed grief over the death on social media, the channel’s chief executive Salman Iqbal also tweeted his condolences and said that he could not believe the news and the incident. There are no words to say.
Osama Khalji said that Arshad Sharif spoke against Pakistan’s military establishment after which he was facing threats. He says that there should be an international inquiry into his murder.
Harassment claim before departure abroad
Born in Karachi, 49-year-old Arshad Sharif had held senior positions in several Pakistani news channels.
He often expressed his views from abroad through Vlogs and supported the ‘external conspiracy’ narrative against Imran Khan.
After the success of the no-confidence motion against Imran Khan, he had claimed that he was facing harassment from the FIA. On their request, the Islamabad High Court had ordered the FIA to liaise with journalistic organizations in case of complaints against journalists.
Arshad Sharif’s lawyer Faisal Chowdhury’s petition filed stated that his client (Arshad Sharif) has come to know from sources that the current government has decided to teach him a lesson and he may be arrested. The reason for which was Arshad Sharif’s reporting and criticism of the government.
According to the petition, Arshad Sharif was scared after the information received from the sources because “persons dressed in civilian clothes are monitoring his house and family.”
However, the FIA claimed that it had neither arrested Arshad Sharif nor harassed him. According to the court order, the FIA director had said that no case was registered against the petitioner.
Former Prime Minister Imran Khan has repeatedly condemned the alleged attack on Arshad Sharif in his statements and said that a strong voice should be raised in favor of the journalists who were targeted by the government.
In the year 2019, Arshad Sharif was also given Pride of Performance Award by President Arif Alvi.
