Death of Arshad Sharif

Arshad Sharif, a Pakistani journalist, was shot and killed by local police in Kajiado, Kenya, on 23 October 2022. Kenyan police described the shooting as a case of "mistaken identity," though the killing prompted widespread speculation on social media that he had been assassinated.

Sharif's mother accused senior Pakistani intelligence and military officers, including then-Army Chief General Bajwa and ISI chief Nadeem Anjum, of orchestrating a "targeted, premeditated, planned and calculated murder" of her son. In a letter to the Chief Justice of Pakistan, she alleged that Sharif's relations with the military had deteriorated after he criticized the vote-of-no-confidence against Prime Minister Imran Khan, particularly in a program aired on ARY on 31 May 2022 that suggested the military was behind Khan's removal. She further alleged that Sharif received threats from an army spokesman and the ISI warning of "dire consequences." Neither the federal government nor the Chief Justice filed an FIR or pursued a formal investigation based on her complaint. Separately, Sharif's wife, Somiya, told investigators that military leadership had threatened and trailed Arshad until he fled the country, and alleged his visa and departure from Dubai were arranged with the "connivance" of Pakistan's military leadership, given its relationship with the UAE government.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced formation of a two-member inquiry committee on 26 October 2022, comprising officials from the Federal Investigation Agency and the Intelligence Bureau, who traveled to Kenya, met with Kenyan police and Pakistani High Commission representatives, and recorded testimony from two brothers who had hosted Sharif in Kenya. The team returned on 8 November 2022 and submitted a report to the Interior Ministry.

On 12 December 2022, the Government of Pakistan released a Fact-Finding Report, submitted to the Supreme Court in suo moto proceedings, which found the killing had been "pre-planned" and "targeted," noted inconsistencies between the murder weapons, bullets, and Sharif's injuries, and flagged contradictions in statements from a key suspect with ties to US, Kenyan, and Pakistani intelligence who had been driving Sharif at the time. The report also noted that about a dozen FIRs had been filed against Sharif in Pakistan, mostly alleging propaganda against the armed forces, which were said to have been "registered without due diligence."

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also asked the Chief Justice of Pakistan, Umar Ata Bandial, to form a judicial commission to investigate the circumstances of the killing, including Sharif's travel arrangements, whether threats against him were known to authorities, and what happened during the shooting.

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

Sharif's death drew strong reactions in Pakistan, including statements from President Arif Alvi, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and former Prime Minister Imran Khan, and prompted calls for investigation from journalist organizations.