JOURNALIST ARSHAD SHARIF DEAD IN KENYA, SUSPICION OF BEING SHOT

Senior journalist Arshad Sharif passed away in Nairobi, Kenya, early on Monday, according to his wife Javeria Siddiqui. He had apparently been shot.

Police in Kenya has started an inquiry into the shooting that claimed Sharif's life, according to ARY News.

The 49-year-old has worked in many newsrooms around the nation since President Arif Alvi presented him with the Pride of Performance award in March 2019.

Sharif's alleged murder comes as the Times of India reports that two Indians, Zulfiqar Ahmad Khan and his friend Mohamed Zaid Sami Kidwai, who was involved in Kenyan President William Ruto's digital campaign and went missing in Kenya in July, were killed by directorate of criminal investigations unit, which has since been disbanded. Details of their deaths are still unclear. Taking to her official Twitter handle, Siddiqui said "I lost friend, husband and my favourite journalist Arshad today, as per police he was shot in Kenya."

In May, DAWN reported that two FIRs had been filed against Sharif in Pakistan's Hyderabad and Karachi under sections of the Pakistani Penal Code accusing him of "disrespecting" state institutions and attempting to "spread hate in the army" as a result of a discussion with fellow journalist Matiullah Jan on a YouTube channel.

President Dr Arif Alvi described Sharif's passing as a loss for Pakistan's media and the country. “May his soul rest in peace and may his family, which includes his followers, have the strength to bear this loss,” Alvi said.