Pakistani journalist and anchorperson Arshad Sharif was shot dead in Kenya, his wife Javeria Siddique confirmed on Monday morning.
In her tweet, she wrote: “I lost friend, husband, and my favorite journalist Arshad 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 the hospital. Remember us in your prayers.”
Details around his death were sketchy but Pakistan’s Foreign Office Spokesperson Asim Iftikhar told SAMAA TV that Pakistan’s High Commission in Kenya was “ascertaining information from the authorities”.
The motive behind his murder is yet to be ascertained, SAMAA reported.
However, Kenya’s The Star reported Monday morning that Sharif died after being shot by police at a roadblock in Kajiado, about 80km south of Nairobi.
According to The Star, Sharif was shot in the head after he and his driver allegedly breached a roadblock, adding that a senior police officer confirmed the shooting.
Sharif made headlines in August when police arrested several ARY News journalists after PTI leader Shahbaz Gill made a controversial statement about the military in a live phone-in conversation on TV.
Gill was arrested and charged with inciting the personnel of the armed forces to mutiny.
ARY News journalists were named in the official report. Sharif however decided to leave Pakistan.
SAMAA reported that days after his departure, ARY News issued a statement to announce that it was parting ways with Sharif, who was spotted in London soon after leaving Pakistan.
It was not, however, immediately clear why he was in Kenya.
