Nairobi/Geneva: A Pakistani broadcast journalist in exile Arshad Sharif (50), who was critical to the Pakistani military agencies, was shot dead by armed personnel on the night of Sunday, October 23, 2022, his wife Javeria Siddique said.
A master’s degree holder in media studies, Karachi-born Arshad started his journalistic career three decades back and emerged as a popular media personality with his investigative reports. He was a former reporter with ARY TV and had fled to Kenya in August 2022 following troubles in his country.
Arshad also worked with Aaj News, Dunya TV, Dawn News. The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists along with a large number of media workers condoled his untimely demise. He becomes the 102nd media victim so far in 2022.
Press Emblem Campaign (PEC), the Geneva-based global media safety and rights body condemned the murder of Arshad and urged the Kenyan government to fairly probe into the incident that led to his demise.
“We demand a transparent judicial investigation into Arshad’s killing and urge Kenyan President William Ruto to punish the culprits, involved with his murder, under the relevant laws,” said Blaise Lempen, president of PEC, adding that the brave journalist had to leave Pakistan after sedition charges were framed against him following an interview with an Opposition party politician.
Pakistan earlier lost journalists Muhammad Younis, Iftikhar Ahmed, Hasnain Shah, Murtaza Shar and Athar Mateen to assailants this year, said PEC’s south Asia representative Nava Thakuria adding that India witnessed the murder of journalists Rohit Kumar Biswal, Sudhir Saini, Juned Khan Pathan and Subhash Kumar Mahato since January 1, 2022. Journalists namely Hashibur Rahaman Rubel, Mohiuddin Sarker Nayeem and Abdul Bari were killed in Bangladesh and Myanmar witnessed the death of photojournalist Aye Kyaw and journalist Pu Tui Dim in military atrocities.
– global bihari bureau
