FORMER TELEVISION senior govt Zulfiqar Ahmad Khan, who had been lacking in Kenya since July, has been killed, an in depth aide of Kenyan President William Ruto has claimed.
Whereas there was no official affirmation by the Indian authorities, it’s learnt that Khan, 48, was caught within the bitter battle between political events in Kenya, which witnessed elections in August this 12 months. William Ruto received the elections and have become the President of Kenya in September this 12 months, after defeating incumbent Uhuru Kenyatta.
It’s learnt that Khan was tapped by Ruto’s group, which was within the Opposition, for serving to with the social media marketing campaign. That is understood to haven’t gone down properly with the ruling institution in Kenya, which was led by President Kenyatta. In consequence, he was kidnapped — a declare substantiated by President Ruto’s aide, Dennis Itumbi.
In a social media publish on Twitter, he mentioned that the lacking Indian has been killed by the now-disbanded Particular Service Unit (SSU), a bunch that has been accused of extrajudicial killings.
Zulfiqar Ahmad Khan and his pal Mohamed Zaid Sami Kidwai, who have been a part of the Kenya Kwanza digital marketing campaign group, went lacking alongside taxi driver Nicodemus Mwania from Mombasa Street in July. The 2 have been working for Ruto’s marketing campaign, mentioned Itumbi, who was a key participant in Ruto’s presidential campaigns.
Praising them, he mentioned, in his posts on Twitter, “Generally when our group was overwhelmed and we would have liked graphics, I despatched (materials) their approach they usually paused no matter they have been doing and did me the favour.”
“They visited Mombasa, Homa Bay, (Masai) Mara, nyama choma joints and liked our dance joints too. They invited me to India; I informed them I might go to after (the) elections. Their eyes have been totally on having fun with Kenya as a lot as they may. Once they sat down, they produced very interesting content material,” he added.
“As typical they (Zaid and Khan) at all times did one thing additional. A meme right here, a video there, a field quote and rather more,” he mentioned. “We even had a Telegram group that not often went silent, with countless concepts.”
Simply two days earlier than they returned to India, Itumbi recalled, he learnt that the duo had misplaced a telephone throughout an evening out. “They may not be reached. Simply the opposite day, I lastly received to know their painful final moments within the arms of individuals whose solely mission was to make sure Dr Ruto doesn’t develop into President even when it means killing folks,” he mentioned. “On this case, they killed folks whose solely mistake was to be our mates.”
These Twitter posts come within the wake of President Ruto ordering the disbandment of SSU final Saturday after a probe into the disappearance of the 2 Indians was linked to the unit, a Kenyan media report mentioned. Officers who’ve served within the unit are being probed as properly.
The Ministry of Exterior Affairs has mentioned that the Indian authorities has been in contact with the Kenyan authorities on the matter.
Final week, the Ministry of Exterior Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi had mentioned, “So far as we perceive, there have been two Indian nationals, Zulfiqar Ahmad Khan and Zaid Sami Kidwai, they usually have been lacking in Kenya since mid-July. A police criticism was filed there quickly after that….Subsequently, a habeas corpus petition was filed within the Kenyan court docket. We perceive that the problem is now sub-judice within the excessive court docket of Kenya and quite a lot of hearings have taken place.”
He mentioned the Indian Excessive Fee in Kenya has been in contact with the Kenyan authorities.
Khan was the COO of Ekta Kapoor’s Balaji Telefilms and a former govt of the Indian leisure channel Star Plus.
A pal of Khan’s mentioned on Sunday that his mates solely knew what had been reported within the media up to now.
His mates had mentioned earlier that Khan was visiting Kenya as a vacationer and his household and mates had stopped listening to from him round July 21. Earlier this month, his mates had put out a name for assist from authorities in India and Kenya to hint him. Khan, a resident of Mumbai, had left for Kenya within the final week of June, a pal had mentioned final week.
On Oct 20, his mates had additionally shared a word, which reiterated that he was in Kenya as a vacationer and that he met a number of Indians in Kenya as a vacationer.