By Ghulam Haider
A senior Pakistani journalist was shot dead Sunday night along the Nairobi-Magadi highway in what police termed as a mistaken identity.
Arshad Sharif was shot in the head and killed by police after he and his driver allegedly breached a roadblock that had been set up to check on motor vehicles using the route.
They were driving from Magadi town to Nairobi when they were flagged down at a roadblock being manned by a group of police officers, police said.
Police headquarters said Independent Policing Oversight Authority will take over the case.
A senior police officer confirmed the shooting and added a comprehensive statement will be released later.
“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,” the officer said.
According to police, at the roadblock, there was a call for police to intercept a car similar to the one they were driving following a carjacking incident in Pangani area, Nairobi where a child was taken hostage.
And a few minutes later, Sharif’s car emerged at the roadblock and they were stopped and asked to identify themselves.
They allegedly failed to stop and drove past the roadblock.
This prompted a brief chase and shooting that left Sharif dead. Their car rolled and his driver was injured and taken to hospital.
He later told police he and his slain colleague were developers and were headed for a site in Magadi.
The news of the incident spread fast in Pakistan where the journalist was prominent.
Sharif’s wife Javeria Siddiqui took to Twitter and confirmed the tragic news, acknowledging that her husband was killed in Kenya.
“I lost friend, husband and my favourite journalist [Arshad Sharif] today, as per police he was shot in Kenya,” she tweeted.
She also urged the media and the public not to share their family pictures, personal details, and Sharif’s last pictures from the hospital on social media.
Sharif was previously associated with ARY News and had gone to Dubai after resigning from the channel.
Following the news of Sharif’s death, condolences started pouring in from across the country.
PTI chairman and former Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed his condolences over the death of journalist Arshad Sharif.
PML-N leader Hina Pervaiz Butt extended heartfelt condolences on the demise of the journalist, while PTI leader Ali Zaidi also expressed his grief on the death of Shariff
President Dr Arif Alvi termed Sharif’s death a loss for journalism and Pakistan.
“May his soul rest in peace and may his family, which includes his followers, have the strength to bear this loss,” Alvi said.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said he was deeply saddened. He offered condolences and prayers for the journalist’s family.
Former Pakistani parliamentarian Farahnaz Ispahani expressed her deepest condolences. “What a huge & shocking loss. May he rest in eternal peace.”
“Heartfelt condolences. He and you are in our thoughts and prayers,” said former Pakistan envoy to the US, Husain Haqqani.
ARY news journalist Kashif Abbasi tweeted, “My brother, my friend my colleague Arshad Shareef was shot dead in Kenya..I still can’t believe it. It’s beyond heartbreaking. This is just wrong.. this is painful.. I love u brother.”
