Islamabad, 24 October 2022 (TDI): Arshad Sharif, senior journalist and anchorperson has been reportedly shot dead in Kenya. The news was confirmed early Monday morning.
Kenya’s police have told that further investigation is underway. The Foreign Office of Pakistan confirmed the journalist’s death. However, further procedures are awaited according to the statement.
Purportedly, the police in Kenya have claimed that “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.”
The High Commission of Pakistan in Kenya will facilitate the early retrieval of Sharif’s body to Pakistan. Arshad Sharif was previously associated with ARY News.
The Prime Minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif shared on Twitter that he was “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 & prayers to the bereaved family.”
The President of Pakistan, Dr. Arif Alvi also took to Twitter to express his grief on the murder of the renowned journalist.
He shared that “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.”
The former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan expressed his shock “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.”
Arshad Sharif had left Pakistan and moved to Dubai after resigning from the channel amidst death threats. Hence there has been speculation on social media that he had been assassinated.
He was a Pakistani journalist, writer, and television news anchor. He was an expert in investigative reporting and covered numerous political events in Pakistan for local, national, and even worldwide news outlets, such as the UK.
He received the Pride of Performance award from Pakistani President Arif Alvi on March 23, 2019, in recognition of his achievements in media. He was killed on October 23, 2022, in Kenya under mysterious circumstances.
Sharif also served as the host of the ARY News show Power Play. He worked as the news director for AAJ News. Aside from that, he was the host of the programme Kyun and served as the Director of news for Dunya News prior to joining Aaj.
