Death of Arshad Sharif | |
---|---|
Location | Kajiado, Kenya |
Date | 23 October 2022 |
Target | Arshad Sharif |
Attack type | Shooting |
Deaths | 1 |
Perpetrators | Local police (claimed as mistaken identity) |
Motive | Unknown, possible assassination |
Arshad Sharif, a Pakistani journalist, was shot and killed in Kajiado, Kenya, by local police on 23 October 2022.[1] The Kenyan police described the shooting as a case of "mistaken identity",[1][2] and there was speculation on social media that he had been assassinated.[1] On 24 October, the Kenyan Independent Police Oversight Authority announced an investigation into Sharif's death.
The late journalist's mother accused senior Pakistani intelligence officers of their involvement in the murder, including the then-Army Chief General Bajwa, and head of the ISI, Nadeem Anjum,[3] for the "targeted, premeditated, planned and calculated murder" of her son. In a letter to the Chief Justice of Pakistan, Sharif's mother alleged Arshad's relations with the military soured following his criticism on the passing of the vote-of-no-confidence against Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, particularly drawing the ire of the military leadership in a program “Woh Kon Tha”, aired on May 31, 2022 on ARY, which insinuated that the military, led by General Bajwa, was behind Khan's overthrow. Sharif's mother further alleged that he began receiving threats from army spokesman Shafiq Malik of the DGISPR, and the ISI, who warned that he would "face dire consequences."[3][4] However, neither the federal government nor the Chief Justice has filed an FIR or pursued an investigation based on her complaint and allegations.[5] Similarly, Arshad's wife Somiya, in her official statement to investigators, also accused the military leadership of threatening and trailing Arshad until he fled the country after receiving numerous warnings of assassination attempts. Somiya claimed that Arshad's visa and subsequent exit from Dubai was committed at the "connivance of Pakistan's military leadership which enjoys [an] excellent relationship with UAE Government."[6][7]