Arshad Sharif, prominent journalist who fled Pakistan, killed in shooting in Kenya
(Newser) – Arshad Sharif, a prominent journalist and radio host who fled Pakistan last year, was found dead in his home in Kenya last week, according to reports today. Sharif spoke in Urdu, Farsi, Arabic, and English, said Reuters. Sharif was scheduled to meet with President Bush and other foreign leaders at a U.S. military base in Afghanistan today, the same place he had been meeting with American officials before he defected.
Today’s news comes as the Pakistani government is facing questions over the fate of Sharif, who fled Pakistan just two months after Sharif’s sister, Maryam, along with several hundred of her followers, made an ill-fated attempt to assassinate Pakistan’s former chief justice, Iftikhar Chaudhry, in the capital of Islamabad. Chaudhry was a key ally of Musharraf at the time, and was arrested and detained while Sharif fled, but returned to Pakistan after a month-long absence and died in an apparent suicide in June. Musharraf then replaced Chaudhry with a new chief justice, Justice Agha Khan. (Read more Iftikhar Chaudhry stories.)
I will be very sad to hear about his death. Was he a coward because he was in Kenya, and was going to meet with the president?
Iftikhar Chaudhry was the man who gave Pakistan its first free press and helped to launch democracy in that country.
Kamil
Sep 29, 2007 8:17 AM CDT
A friend and well respected voice like Sharif was a terrible loss. For all of his faults he provided a lot of useful insight into Pakistan and of course his voice was a great comfort in times of despair in Pakistan. He made me think of the value of journalism, not only as a service to society but as a means of breaking down barriers and making people feel a part of the same tribe. Even though I have great admiration and