Javeria Siddique, widow of anchorperson Arshad Sharif Shaheed, reports renewed harassment
PFUJ-Workers President Dr. Sadia Kamal, Secretary General Anis Haider and other office-bearers issue joint statement
Islamabad: Journalist Javeria Siddique, widow of slain Pakistani journalist and anchorperson Arshad Sharif Shaheed, has reported renewed incidents of harassment outside her residence in Islamabad. In a post shared on X, she stated that unidentified individuals have again begun appearing in her street, calling out her name and collecting information about her from neighbors.
According to her post, similar incidents occurred twice in December 2025, when unknown persons came outside her house and inquired about her from people in the street. She said that in January 2026 the same pattern has resumed, with one person creating disturbance outside her home while another moves around the street asking about her.
Javeria Siddique stated that she contacted Shalimar Police Station and that a report is expected to be registered. She expressed concern that her case related to justice for her late husband is nearing closure without accountability and said she sees little hope for justice.
In her message on X, she appealed to those responsible for the harassment to stop and to contact her directly if they have any grievance, urging them to allow her to live peacefully in her own country. She said that a similar pattern of harassment had preceded the persecution of her late husband.
She further stated that despite being a journalist, a widow, and a citizen, she has received neither protection nor even words of sympathy from the state, and added that as a taxpayer she has the right to live with dignity and without fear.
Arshad Sharif was shot dead in Kenya in October 2022. A Kenyan High Court later declared the killing unlawful, while a Pakistani government fact-finding report described it as a targeted and pre-planned murder. No convictions have been reported in the case.
Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (Workers) – Joint Statement
(As published in Daily Nawa-i-Ahmedpur Sharqia)
The Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (Workers), including President Dr. Sadia Kamal, Secretary General Anis Haider, Senior Vice President Nasir Sheikh, Vice President Nayyar Sarhadi, Additional Secretary General Umar Farooq Gondal, Information Secretary Imran Chaudhry, Joint Secretary Ayub Barmi, and Islamabad-Rawalpindi Union of Journalists (Workers) General Secretary Hamidullah Abid, have condemned the harassment and continuous threats faced by senior journalist Javeria Siddique, widow of anchorperson Shaheed Arshad Sharif, by unknown elements.
The PFUJ-Workers leadership demanded that the Federal Minister for Information, the Interior Minister, and other senior authorities take notice of the situation and ensure protection of her life and property.
The statement said that Arshad Sharif Shaheed was martyred, and that to date neither have the perpetrators been brought to justice nor has there been meaningful progress by the government. It added that the threatening environment faced by journalists and their families contradicts official claims.
The PFUJ-Workers emphasized that providing safety and security to journalists is the responsibility of the state, adding that the intimidation of journalists and their families is an alarming situation.