Senior Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif, 50, was allegedly shot dead by the police in Kajiado County, near the capital of Nairobi, Kenya.
In an online press conference with the Christian journalists, Father Qaisar Feroz, President of Signis-Pakistan, strongly condemned the murder of a senior journalist, Sharif.
"Sharif was a committed and bold journalist who raised his voice against the unjust socio-political structures," said Father Qaisar.
Kamran Chaudhary, a senior Christian journalist, said, "For journalists in Pakistan, it is very difficult to speak the truth. The murder of Arshad Sharif is linked to increasing political and economic instability. The attacks on journalists are increasing day by day."
Sharif, who was a critic of the Pakistani military as well as a staunch supporter of ousted Prime Minister Imran Khan, reportedly left his country in August after complaining of harassment.
A large number of journalists and politicians, including Senator Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and Asad Umar, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, and Senator Azam Swati of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI-The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf in Urdu or Pakistan Movement for Justice), paid their respects to Arshad Sharif's family.
Speaking to the media, Shah Mehmood Qurashi said the high standards of professionalism displayed by Arshad Sharif were known to everybody, adding that he belonged to a family of brave men who had served the nation.
Information minister Marriyum Aurangzeb also visited Arshad Sharif’s house and expressed her condolences to his family.
She said the government was taking all steps to bring Arshad Sharif’s body to Pakistan.
Following his death, the Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA) said the "alleged police killing of a Pakistani national" would be investigated as it had sent a rapid response team to the scene of the murder.
Meanwhile, on October 24, journalists flooded the streets of Karachi, Pakistan to protest the death of their colleague.
Reacting to Sharif’s death, Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif, tweeted that he was "deeply saddened by the shocking news of journalist Arshad Sharif’s tragic death."
He also said he spoke to Kenya’s President, William Ruto, demanding a "fair and transparent investigation. He promised all-out help, including fast-tracking the process of return of the body to Pakistan."
Sharif was a journalist, writer, and television news anchor. He specialized in investigative journalism and covered many political events in the country for national and international news organizations, including the United Kingdom.
On March 23, 2019, he was awarded the Pride of Performance by the President of Pakistan, Arif Alvi, for his contributions to journalism.
He was the host of the program Power Play on ARY News. He served on AAJ News as News Director. Before joining Aaj, he led the news team of Dunya News as Director and was the host of the program Kyun (Why?). - Iram Imran
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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