JSQM to observe strike today over leader’s death

KARACHI: The Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz (JSQM) has given complete shutter-down and wheel-jam strike call in Sindh for Wednesday (today) to press their demand for conducting postmortem and viscera test of their deceased leader Bashir Qureshi at a leading private hospital of Karachi.

The party leadership suspects that Bashir Qureshi was poisoned to death and apprehends that the chemical examination reports at any government facility might be tempered with.

JSQM chief Bashir Khan Qureshi had died on April 7 after having meal at a private party. JSQM’s city president Illahi Bux Bikek told The News that they want from the authorities concerned to conduct postmortem and viscera tests of Bashir Qureshi at a private hospital with best reputation like Aga Khan Hospital (AKH), “since we fear that the report of such tests at any government-run hospital could be tempered with”.

The nationalist party had raised objections over the procedure of postmortem adopted by the government officials and when their complaint was not entertained by the authorities concerned they announced to observe strike across the province on Wednesday.

“It is our genuine complaint which should have been looked into by the government since Bashir Qureshi was one of the great nationalist leaders of the soil and had huge following in Sindh,” Bikek said.

According to him, one of the central committee members of JSQM, Waqar Lagahri, had travelled to Karachi from Larkana to witness the process of postmortem but the officials at the Forensic Laboratory of the Sindh government refused to allow him remain inside the examination room.

“As the postmortem was being conducted at a government-run hospital there are chances that results would be tempered with and truth would never come into public knowledge,” Bikek alleged.

Acting Chairman JSQM Dr Niaz Kalani also condemned the government decision to conduct postmortem at a public-sector hospital rather than at a leading private hospital. When contacted, the officials of Forensic Laboratory said that during the initial postmortem test they did not find any mark or symptom of poison. They, however, added that they would be conducting viscera test to thoroughly examine and ascertain the real cause of Bashir Qureshi’s death.

The postmortem was conducted under the supervision of Police Surgeon Fazl Ellahi, who is the in-charge of the lab. He told The News that the viscera of late Qureshi was brought to the laboratory by Police Surgeon Larkana, Shabbir Abbasi, under police escort.

“The late Sindhi nationalist leader was a person of high profile and usually all such cases are referred to the Forensic Laboratory,” Ellahi said, adding, it would take some time to prepare the final report.

Meanwhile, the examination boards of Sindh, except Karachi board, have postponed the papers scheduled for Wednesday and they would announce the new dates in due course of time.

Controller of Examinations, Board of Secondary Education Karachi (BSEK), Rafia Mallah said that the board was hopeful that there would be no problem during papers on Wednesday (today).

She said in case the candidates face any problem then the board would address the issue, adding, “If such situation arises then the BSEK chairman would discuss the matter with the CM and announce the decision”.