Arshad Sharif had taken refuge in East Africa after criticizing the army and former Prime Minister Imran Khan. According to the first indications, they confused him with another person. It is not clear why the journalist was in the region.
Karachi () – Arshad Sharif, a well-known 50-year-old Pakistani journalist, was shot dead in Kenya. The reporter was traveling by car with his brother Khurram Ahmed from the city of Magadi to Nairobi. According to the Kenyan police, the journalist failed to stop at a checkpoint and was mistaken for someone else. Sharif had left Pakistan in July to avoid arrest on sedition charges after criticizing the military and former Prime Minister Imran Khan. Before arriving in the African country, he had also been to Dubai and the United Kingdom.
In a tweet, the Pakistan Human Rights Commission stated that “a long and sad history of violent tactics to silence members of the press explains why the news of Arshad Sharif’s murder in Kenya shocked the journalist community.”
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed his condolences and said he was deeply saddened by the news. He also announced that he had had a conversation with Kenyan President William Ruto and asked for a fair and transparent investigation.
Pakistan has long ceased to be a safe country for journalists. In 2020, it ranked ninth in the global impunity index compiled by the Committee to Protect Journalists. According to Reporters Without Borders, “Pakistani law is used to censor any criticism of the government and the Armed Forces.”
Many in Pakistan wonder why Sharif decided to take refuge precisely in Kenya. According to the details, the police fired 10 times at the car in which he was traveling and a bullet hit him in the head.
Nasir Ahmed, a Muslim lawyer from the International Lawyers Forum, yesterday condemned the murder during the Hindu festival of Diwali (Deepavali). Christians, Muslims, Bahi and Sikhs gathered at one of the country’s oldest temples, the Shri Lakshami Narayan Mandir, to share in the celebrations.
