One of Pakistan’s finest news anchors, Arshad Sharif, was shot dead in Kenya, according to his wife’s statement on Monday. A few months ago, Sharif left Pakistan to avoid being detained on allegations of sedition.
According to reports, the journalist was a vocal opponent of the Pakistani military establishment and a supporter of Imran Khan, the former prime minister who was overthrown in a no-confidence vote in the legislature in April.
“I lost friend, husband and my favourite journalist today. As per police, he was shot in Kenya,” his wife Javeria Siddique tweeted.
News agency AFP reported that in August, Sharif had interviewed senior opposition politician Shahbaz Gill, who said that junior officers in the armed forces should not follow orders that went against “the will of the majority”.
The news channel was briefly taken off the air as a result of the remark, and Sharif, who had already left the country, had an arrest order issued.
The channel ARY later said it had “cut ties” with him.
After the interview, Khan criticised the judiciary for holding Gill in custody, which resulted in Khan’s own court appearances.
On Monday, ARY TV tweeted, “ARY anchorperson Arshad Sharif embraced martyrdom after he was shot dead in Kenya… the local police are investigating.”
The incident was confirmed by Pakistan’s foreign ministry.
According to a Reporters without Borders press freedom index, Pakistan is ranked 157 out of 180 nations in the world.
Sharif was recently seen in London after coming from Dubai. Following the publication of the journalist’s death news, condolences poured in from all over the nation.