Islamabad: President Dr. Arif Alvi on Tuesday visited the residence of slain journalist Arshad Sharif and condoled with the bereaved family.
The President, who was accompanied by First Lady Begum Samina Alvi, expressed his deep grief and sorrow over the sad demise of Arshad Sharif.
According to a statement, President Arif Alvi described the tragic news as “unforgettable” and hailed the services of late Arshad Sharif for the freedom of the press.
صدر مملکت ڈاکٹر عارف علوی کی مقتول صحافی ارشد شریف کے گھر آمد
خاتون اول بیگم ثمینہ عارف علوی بھی صدر مملکت کے ہمراہ تھیں
صدر مملکت کا ارشد شریف کے لواحقین سے اظہار تعزیت
صدر مملکت نے ارشد شریف کے خاندان کے ممبران سے اظہار افسوس اور مرحوم کیلئے دعائے مغفرت کی pic.twitter.com/G8ikREUiIg
— The President of Pakistan (@PresOfPakistan) October 25, 2022
Paying rich tribute to the services of Arshad Sharif in the field of journalism, the President said that the late journalist used to express his opinion based on research and facts without any fear.
Arshad Sharif was shot dead in Nairobi, Kenya, on Sunday night which, according to the Kenyan police, was a case of “mistaken identity”. In a statement, the Kenyan police said Sharif was gunned down when police, tracking down a jacked car, opened indiscriminate fire on the journalist’s automobile mistaking it for a stolen vehicle.
Arshad’s dead body arrived in Islamabad in the early hours of Wednesday and was handed over to family members.
The funeral prayer of Arshad Sharif will be offered at Faisal Masjid Islamabad at 2 pm on Thursday. Later, he will be laid to rest at the H-11 cemetery in the federal capital.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced that he had decided to form a judicial commission to investigate the tragic death of senior journalist Arshad Sharif in Nairobi, Kenya.
In addition, the federal government also constituted a three-member inquiry committee to investigate the incident on Tuesday. The interior ministry has issued a notification in this regard.
The notification says that the investigation team will immediately leave for Kenya and submit its report to the ministry.
Similarly, the Pakistan Army has also asked the Government of Pakistan to conduct a high-level probe into the tragic killing of the journalist.
“We have requested the government to hold a high-level investigation so that all these speculations can be put to rest,” Director General (DG) Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Babar Iftikhar said.
Additionally, the Foreign Office of Pakistan has said that the government is actively engaged with the Kenyan authorities and has officially asked Kenya to launch an investigation into the incident.
