Arshad Sharif, prominent journalist who fled Pakistan, killed in shooting in Kenya
Sharif was known as Pakistan’s best investigative journalist, earning the title “the man who broke the wall” for his hard-hitting coverage of political, social, and economic affairs. Sharif was among a group of Pakistani journalists who left Pakistan in protest of then president Pervez Musharraf’s controversial election in 2007, which led to widespread accusations of rigged voting. Sharif continued to report from abroad and was among a number of journalists, including Reuters and AP, who were arrested under charges of illegal entry, illegal stay, and espionage last year. He remained one of the few Pakistani journalists who traveled and worked in exile for years after Musharraf took control of the country. Pakistanis were in shock at the news of the killing of Sharif, who was shot dead by a masked man outside his home in Kenya, at 4 a.m. on Monday. The gunmen arrived at Sharif’s residence on Friday night and told him that his family was threatening to kill him. After they left, Sharif called a relative who came out to his residence and told him the attackers had said they were going to kill him as well. But when relatives failed to show up for him, Sharif called the police. He was shot dead. In the past, Sharif had been critical of Pakistan’s ruling military and accused it of corruption. He was a vocal critic of Musharraf and was known for his acerbic reporting. His wife, Shabana, arrived in Kenya overnight in a bid to visit Sharif’s body. “They shot me for telling the truth to the world (that) Musharraf should not be allowed to play the king. I never will accept this violence,” she told reporters in Kenya, adding that her husband had been “very busy” with his work since Pakistan’s military decided to suspend elections in the country. She was not allowed to meet the body of her husband until after he was flown back to Pakistan from Kenya, where he was hospitalized for surgery. Shabana was not present in Kenya when he died, but her brother-in-law, Syed Sajid Hussain, told reporters in Karachi that he had been told she was in Kenya. Hussain said in a news conference that Sharif had been in Kenya to
