By Irum Saleem
Murder is the most foul. And indeed the murder of anchor Arshad Sharif has exposed many.
Arshad body seemed to contain so much. And this appears to be reason for his removal from the scene.
Who was afraid of his truth. Who wanted to eliminate him from the scene. Who was making plans in this regards… these are the questions being asked.
Is it a warning to someone else — a top man in politics — as well. But as a who it was unfortunate that a talented journalist like Arshad lost his life in this manner.
Journalist Arshad Sharif was allegedly shot dead by local police after his car did not stop at a picket
Arshad’s wife Javeria iddique tweeted on Monday morning saying: “I lost friend, husband and my favourite journalist today, as per police he was shot in Kenya.”
Later in the day, addressing a press conference, the chairperson of Kenya’s Independent Policing Oversight Authority, Ann Makori, said that a “rapid response team” had been dispatched to investigate the killing of the journalist.
Sharif, who was a fierce critic of the incumbent government and the country’s military establishment, had left Pakistan a few months ago after receiving death threats.
A statement released by the National Police Service of Kenya later confirmed that the incident occurred last night along the Kwenia farm/Kamukuru Marram road within Magadi, where “a foreigner namely Arshad Mohammed Shariff, a Pakistani national aged 50 years was fatally wounded by a police officer while a passenger in a motor vehicle KDG 200M.”
“At the time of the incident, deceased was in company of his brother namely Khurram Ahmed. Incident follows a circulation from Pangani Police of a stolen motor vehicle. The officers trailing the motor vehicle towards Magadi alerted police in Magadi who erected a road barrier,” it said
Arshad’s murder sent shocking waves in Pakistan with condemnation pouring in from all quarters especially the journalist community and former premier Imran Khan.
Even a petition was moved in the Islamabad High Court terming it a
“cold-blooded murder.”
Imran Khan believes Arshad Sharif has paid the price for speaking truth
“Arshad Sharif paid ultimate price for speaking truth. I am shocked at Arshad Sharif’s death,” Khan said and added “Arshad 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,”he said in a tweet.
Atleast #ArshadSharif is your colleague and I must say that shame on Ary news shame pic.twitter.com/MujywTVFYp
— Dr Hina (@hina98_hina) October 23, 2022
Arshad sharif hum sharminda hain 🙏💔#قوم_کا_ہیرو_ارشد_شریف #وہ_کون_تھا
— A ب D U L 🚬🥀 (@_User__dead) October 24, 2022
Boycott ARY
Sniper pic.twitter.com/BHKvo03G8t
إنّا لله وإنّا إليهِ رَاجعُون۔
— Abdul Qayyum Rajpoot (@abdulqayyumrajp) October 24, 2022
😓😢😭😢
ارشد شریف جاتے جاتے بتا گیا کہ #وہ_کون_تھا۔ اور اپنے حصے کی شمع جلا گیا۔ اب عوام پر منحصر ہے کہ وہ اس دیے کو کب تک جلائے رکھتے ہیں
Boycott ARY#StandForArshadSharif#arshadshareef #JusticeForArshadSharif #Nairobi#Umpires pic.twitter.com/3pGvDsuJUw
# My Brother and Sisters please Boycott ARY For not standing with Arshad Shareef and Sabir Shakir From the Start
— BismullahKhan_1 (@bismelakhan) October 24, 2022
Imran Khan has also called for an investigation into Arshad Sharif’s death using the journalist’s own statements as well as other evidence. “We have descended into a state of brutality, unknown in civilised society, indulged in by the powerful against those who dare to criticise & expose wrongdoing,” hus tweet further said. PAK DESTINY
