In a condolatory meeting held on Monday in the offices of Daily Pakistan Observer with Executive Editor of Pakistan Observer Gauhar Zahid Malik in the presiding chair deep grief and shock were expressed over the murder of veteran journalist Mr Arshad Sharif in a Kenyan city.
The meeting conveyed deep sympathies to the family members of Arshad Sharif, particularly his mother, wife and children and termed his death a loss not only for his family but for the journalists’ community as well.
Arshad’s death has caused a vacuum in journalism and it will talk long time to fill that vacuum, observed Mr Gauhar Malik while praying for eternal peace of the departed soul. He also commended the government’s prompt response in raising the issue with the Kenyan government and hoped soon Arshad’s body would be brought back to Pakistan.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had called the Kenyan President William Ruto and conveyed to him his countrymen’s concerns over the death of a Pakistani journalist in Kenya. The Prime Minister also demanded a thorough and transparent inquiry into the murder of the Pakistani citizen. The condolatory meeting also demanded adequate compensation by the Kenyan government for the bereaved family of Arshad Sharif.
Later, Fateha for the uplift of the soul of the slain journalist was also offered.
Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) president Afzal Butt on Monday demanded the state to conduct an inquiry into the murder of senior journalist and anchor Arshad Sharif in Kenya’s capital of Nairobi.
The PFUJ president expressed his grief on the tragic demise of Arshad Sharif and demanded of the Pakistan government to investigate the matter.
The responsibility of investigating the matter lies on the State of Pakistan and the findings should be made public, Afzal Butt said. He also urged the federal government to make arrangements to bring back the body of senior journalist Arshad Sharif to Pakistan for final rituals.
Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan on Monday visited the residence of senior journalist Arshad Sharif, who was shot dead by Kenyan police in a case of ‘mistaken identity.’Imran Khan offered his condolence to the mother of the martyr and other family members. The former prime minister also prayed for the eternal peace of the departed soul.
On the other hand, Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Athar Minallah, while hearing a petition seeking an inquiry into Sharif’s death, instructed representatives from the foreign and interior ministries to immediately meet the journalist’s family..
