Arshad Sharif

Arshad Sharif PP (Urdu: ارشد شریف; 22 February 1973 – 23 October 2022) was a Pakistani journalist, writer, and news anchor.

A 592-page report by the Pakistani Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) revealed the killing to be a “planned targeted assassination," claiming that Kenyan police were "used as instruments.

[17] Sharif as anchor and Adeel Raja as producer won the 2016 Investigative Journalist of the Year Award[18] for the programme Powerplay.

[21] In August 2022, Sharif fled Pakistan to avoid arrest after a number of accusations, including sedition charges over an interview with PTI leader Shahbaz Gill, during which the latter had made controversial comments.

[25] Subsequently, on 8 November 2022, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif requested Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial to set up a judicial committee to investigate into the murder in a fair and reliable manner.

[27] In July 2024, the Kajiado County High Court found police acted unlawfully and ordered the government to pay 10 million Kenyan shillings (US $78,000) in compensation.

Former Prime Minister Imran Khan wrote on Twitter that he was "shocked at the brutal murder of Arshad Sharif who paid the ultimate price for speaking the truth - his life".

[30] Afzal Butt, president of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), expressed his grief at the news and called for an inquiry into the killing of Sharif.

[33] Close friends and colleagues arrived at Sharif's home to express their condolences, including Imran Khan[34] and Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad.

[36] UNESCO’s mandate to “promote the free flow of ideas by word and image” includes the protection of journalists and media workers against any forms of attacks and reprisals related to their duties.