Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif was shot dead by police officers on the outskirts of the Kenyan capital of Nairobi on Sunday evening. His wife posted the news on Twitter in the early hours of Monday morning.
According to an official statement posted on social media by the Kenyan police, 50-year-old Sharif was shot dead after the vehicle he was travelling in failed to stop at a police roadblock, leading the police to open fire.
The statement added that the Kenyan National Police Service "regrets this unfortunate incident" and that it offers its condolences to "the family and the friends of the deceased".
I lost friend, husband and my favourite journalist @arsched today, as per police he was shot in Kenya. Respect our privacy and in the name of breaking pls don't share our family pics, personal details and his last pictures from hospital. Remember us in ur prayers. pic.twitter.com/wP1BJxqP5e
— Javeria Siddique (@javerias) October 24, 2022
A suspicious death
The former police chief of Sharif's native Pakistan’s Sindh province, Shoaib Suddle, called the incident 'unusual' and claimed that police brutality could not be ruled out as the cause of death. Suddle called for international organisations to conduct an independent investigation.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) in New York also called for an independent investigation. "We are saddened by the tragic death of Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif in Kenya," said Beh Lih Yi, the CPJ’s Asia program coordinator. "[The] CPJ is seeking further details about the incident. There must be a swift and transparent investigation by authorities into his death, and authorities must release the full details as soon as possible."
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Sharif is known in Pakistan for being a vocal supporter of the recently-ousted Prime Minister Imran Khan. Sharif fled Pakistan in August after a warrant was issued for his arrest following a television interview with Shahbaz Gill, a close aide to Khan, who made comments considered offensive by the country's powerful military.
Before travelling to Kenya, he is known to have travelled to the UK and Dubai. It is not clear what exactly Sharif was doing in Kenya.
According to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Pakistan is one of the deadliest countries for journalists. It ranks 157th out of 180 countries in the 2022 Press Freedom Index.
