By Prudence Minayo
News of the death of Pakistan journalist Arshad Sharif on 24th October 2022 spread like wildfire and has been the subject of speculation on social media platforms. The 50-year-old was shot dead by Kenyan Police Officers at a roadblock in Kajiado. Reports indicate that at the time of his death, he was traveling from Magadi to Nairobi when the car was reportedly flagged by police officers.
It was reported that his driver (some sources claim the driver was his brother) was injured in the incident and rushed to the hospital. His wife Javeria Siddique shared the news on social media while urging people not to share his photos or those of the incident. The Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif were among the people who expressed sadness over the news. The Independent Policing Oversight Authority (Ipoa) reported that it was looking into the issue.
Education and Career
He holds a Master of Science in Public Administration from Quaid-i-Azam University in Islamabad.
Born in Karachi, Pakistan, he started working as a freelance journalist in 1993 when he was still a student. During the early stages of his career, he worked with Pulse, a weekly publication. In 1999, he started working with The News and two years later joined Daily Dawn.
Arshad Sharif grew to become a leading investigative journalist who worked with some of the biggest Pakistani news outlets around different parts including: Strasbourg, London, Kiel and Paris. He is also said to have been a fierce critic of the incumbent government and the military establishment of the country.
In the course of his career, he worked at Dunya News as the Director of News and hosted the program Kyun. He also hosted Power Play on ARY News which is a program he started. The main aim of this show was to inform viewers of new happenings.
Arshad Sharif also served as a news director at AAJ News. He dealt in foreign affairs covering conflict in the federally administered Tribal areas.
Awards
In 2016, he won Investigative Journalist of the Year for the program Poweplay
In 2018, he emerged the winner of the Current Affairs Anchor of the Year Award
For his contribution to journalism, Pakistani president Arif Alvi feted him with the Pride of Performance award on 23rd March 2019.
