The case caught my attention more day by day. I never expected myself to share political posts on my timeline on any social platform. But, at that time, my mind was just messed up with so many questions, being a Pakistani. I came to know that day that Javeria Siddique is his wife, as I saw one of her tweets, lamenting his husband’s death. Likewise, Arshad Shaheed’s friends, his work and so many things I came to know that day, after his death. Think of a person who never knew someone all her life, and is now upset about his murder every single day and raising her voice… yes, it’s me.
I was looking forward to the case every single day until the day came when the pain of every Pakistani, including me, reached its climax. It was the night of 7 or 8th Nov, when Kamran Shahid (Dunya News Anchor) released the post-mortem of Arshad Sharif on the tv screen, for the first time. He showed a few body parts of Arshad Sharif and said that Arshad was tortured for 3 hours continuously before shooting finally, into his head and chest, from a very close range. He showed his fingers broken and without nails, deep injuries on the wrist, and a deep bullet hole in the chest area. Regarding head injury, a picture was leaked where the left part of the head could be seen totally damaged. That day, I realized that now, I wouldn’t be able to forget this case, maybe, all life.
This thing raised new multiple suspicious questions in the mind of every Pakistani, including me. I became more disturbed than before. I never saw this much violent images in my whole life. It was a low-than-human level of treatment done to a living human being. Can’t digest it, even now. When the questions about Arshad Sharif’s killing started putting pressure on government authorities, they gave twisted, puzzled, and unclear statements, which made the case more questionable.
After a few days, on the suggestion of one of the journalists, who is Arshad’s friend also, Imran Riaz Khan, the public started writing letters to the Chief Justice of Pakistan. Everyone asked and demanded justice for the slain journalist. According to the information, Supreme Court got lacs of letters in just 10 days. On Dec. 6, the Supreme Court finally took the suo-moto action on this brutal killing. The case is still in progress.
Arshad Sharif’s killing is not an ordinary case, as he was one of the prominent Pakistani journalists, known on the national and international levels. Not only his friends and family, but the whole nation is asking a few basic questions to be investigated. I will list them here;
Who did 16 FIRs of treason/sedition on Arshad Sharif when he was alive? Who was giving him death threats? Why he left Pakistan, his homeland? Why he was not allowed to stay in Dubai after one week? Who pressurized the Dubai gov to make Arshad Sharif leave Dubai immediately? Who met Arshad Sharif in the Dubai Hotel lobby? Who followed Arshad Sharif from Dubai to Kenya? Why was Arshad Sharif’s visa rejected 3 times as he applied for Dubai 3 times while living in Kenya? Who kept threatening Arshad Sharif in all these times? In his life, Arshad Sharif wrote a detailed letter to the President, Prime Minister, Chief Justice of Pakistan, and many other authorities to take notice of the threats to his life, but no action was taken, and no security was provided, Why? And finally, Who killed Arshad Sharif?
The list doesn’t end here. There are a lot more questions and I think, there is an addition to this list, day by day. There is a big question mark on the judicial system of Pakistan also, along with the fact-finding and investigative institutions. The case has become a hot-talk and a “much interested” topic in the whole country, right now. It is not only a journalist’s murder, rather it was a violation of basic human rights to live and speak freely. Again, a big question mark on the silence of our Human Rights Institutions. I am personally much affected, devastated, heart-wrenched, disappointed, and confused since this incident happened on 23/24 Oct 2022.
To be continued…
