Details Emerge Of Pakistani Journalist Shot Dead In Kenya

Popular Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif was on Sunday, October 23 shot dead while in Kenya.

Sources told Viral Tea that Sharif was shot along the Nairobi-Magadi highway in what police have termed as a mistaken identity.

He was shot in the head and killed by police after he and his driver had allegedly driven past a roadblock set up to inspect motor vehicle drivers using that route.

They were on their way back to Nairobi from Magadi town when they were flagged down by a group of police officers at the roadblock.

“We had an incident of shooting which turned out to be a case of mistaken identity involving a journalist. We will release more information later,” a senior police officer revealed to the media while confirming the incident which will be investigated by the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA).

According to police, there was a call for officers to intercept a car at the roadblock which was similar to the one they were driving after a carjacking incident occurred at Pangani, Nairobi area, which saw a child taken hostage.

Sharif's car emerged at the roadblock, which was stopped and police asked the occupants to identify themselves. However, they allegedly failed to stop and drove past it, prompting a brief chase and shooting that left the journalist dead.

His driver was injured after the car they were travelling in rolled and was taken to hospital. He later revealed to police that he and his deceased colleague were developers and were on their way to a site in Magadi.

News of the incident went viral as far as Pakistan where the journalist was known by many, and Sharif's wife, Javeria Siddique, was among the first to react to the shooting.

"I lost my friend, husband and my favourite journalist Arshad Sharif 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," noted Siddique.

Sharif had reportedly flown to Kenya from London after parting ways with his former employer, Ary News, after an interview which was aired on the channel on August 8 featuring PTI leader Dr Shahbaz Gill.

Dawn.com, a media outlet, noted that the former news anchor was facing multiple sedition cases over his programming. Soon after, ARY News parted ways with the anchor over unexplained differences. Following his resignation, Sharif was said to have travelled to Dubai and then to London before flying into Kenya.

Pakistan President Dr Arif-ur-Rehman Alvi led in offering condolences on the demise of the journalist with PTI chairman and former Prime Minister Imran Khan following suit.

“May his soul rest in peace and may his family, which includes his followers, have the strength to bear this loss,” Alvi said.

Prior to a statement from his wife, the Pakistani press had speculated that he passed away in a road accident. Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) president Afzal Butt has since demanded the state to conduct investigations into his death.