Killing Of Arshad Sharif ‘Gems of Journalism
ISLAMABAD ( Web News )
The 49-year-old journalist, who fled Pakistan in August after multiple cases were filed against him for criticising the military, was shot dead in Kenya.
“I lost friend, husband and my favourite journalist today, as per police he was shot in Kenya,” Javeria Siddique tweeted about her husband Arshad Sharif’s death on Sunday night.
Alleging harassment by state institutions as well threats to his life he moved to Dubai in August and later relocated to Kenya.
The channel ARY for which Sharif worked for the last eight years was briefly taken off air in August for airing “false, hateful and seditious” content. The channel announced late August it was parting ways with the journalist, who was one of its top prime-time news anchors.
Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its “sadness” at Arshad Sharif’s death, adding in the statement said that they were in touch with Kenyan officials regarding the matter.
“The High Commission will facilitate expeditious repatriation of mortal remains of Mr. Sharif in coordination with the host authorities,” the statement read.
Kenyan media has quoted local police officials who said the shooting was a case of “mistaken identity”.
Confirming the incident, Bruno Shioso, spokesman for Kenya’s National Police Service, told Al Jazeera that local authorities are currently investigating the murder.
The Islamabad High Court has issued notice to authorities to present them with a report regarding the circumstances of the death at the earliest.
Sharif, who was once considered close to Pakistan’s powerful military establishment, turned into a fierce critic after the removal of former Prime Minister Khan’s government in April.
After the news of Sharif’s death emerged on social media early on Monday, condolences poured in from all quarters.
Pakistan President Arif Alvi, who awarded Sharif with one of Pakistan’s top civilian awards in 2019, tweeted his condolences and said his death was a great loss to journalism and Pakistan.
“I am 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 and prayers for the bereaved family,” he tweeted on Monday morning.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan demanded an immediate inquiry into Sharif’s death.
“A long, grim record of violent tactics to silence journalists explains why the reported murder of journalist Arshad Sharif in Kenya has sent shock waves through the journalist community. The government must pursue an immediate, transparent inquiry into the circumstances of his death,” the organisation said in a statement.
Pakistan has a history of media suppression and violence against journalists.
Kenyan police issued an initial statement on Monday noon claiming the killing of a famous Pakistani TV anchorperson was a ‘mistake’.
The circumstances surrounding the killing of Arshad Sharif indicate some loopholes in the statement of the police and the incident. Javed Mahmood reported
Kenyan police said they tried to stop the car, carrying Arshad Sharif, at a picket, but the driver did not stop. Police chased the car and during the shooting Arshad Sharif was killed when a bullet hit him in the head.
Kenyan Police gave a new twist to the tragic incident by issuing another statement on Monday evening.
Linking the tragic incident to a mistake, Kenyan police further said that they were informed about a similar car involved in the kidnapping of a child.
When the cops spotted the car of Arshad Sharif, being driven by a local driver, the car did not stop at the police picket, and instead, the driver sped away. Resultantly, the police chased the car, opened fire and a bullet pierced through the head of the TV anchorperson, leading to his instant death.
An other story about Arshad Sharief that he was working on an explosive investigation documentary on the corruption, titled ias ” Behund Closed Doors” The documentary also featured a prominent Kenyan investigative reporter @johnallannamu, which may have explain why # ArshadSharif may have travelled to #Kenya.
Unanswered Questions
Kenyan police’s initial statement makes it clear that Arshad Sharif was assassinated by the local police.
Why did the police target Arshad Sharif and spare the local driver, who did not stop at the picket _ if this claim is true?
Why did the bullet hit the head of Arshad Sharif while his Kenyan driver remained safe, perhaps with a minor injury?
Normally, policemen target the tyres of the vehicle and try to arrest the kidnappers in case there is no exchange of fires. But in the case of Arshad Sharif, Kenyan police acted in a hurry and opened straight one-way firing on the car and killed the Pakistani anchorperson on the spot and later on termed the incident a mistake.
There is no information about the actual car which the Kenyan police were looking for in the kidnapping of a child.
In simple words, the assassination of Arshad Sharif is not just a ‘mistake’ and the statement of Kenyan police reminds us of a typical style of twists of the incident to distort the facts of the tragedy.
The incident has shocked the Pakistanis within the country and abroad and a high-level commission must be established to find out facts of this gruesome police ‘mistake’ of the killing of a high-profile Pakistani TV anchorperson.