Rejecting the Sindh Health Department’s post-mortem analysis of the viscera of its deceased chairman, the Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz (JSQM) demanded on Thursday that the international community help the party in investigating the actual cause of death of Bashir Khan Qureshi.
The party also announced a province-wide wheel-jam strike for Saturday (tomorrow) to register its protest against the non-seriousness of the government on the matter.
JSQM leaders, including Senior Vice Chairman Dr Niaz Kalani, Vice Chairman Akash Mallah, Secretary General Asif Baladi and Maqsood Ahmed Qureshi, were speaking at a press conference at the Karachi Press Club.
Kalani said the health department had not yet sent them the diagnostic analysis report of Qureshi’s viscera, in which the doctors had claimed Qureshi was a cardiac patient.
“Qureshi was neither a hearth patient nor suffered from hypertension,” he added. “JSQM and Qureshi’s family reject the report of the health committee and consider the report doubtful.”
He said that the health department’s committee had admitted there are no latest equipments at its facility to check the volume of organophosphates in the late JSQM chief’s organs.
“The Sindh government is not making any serious efforts to probe the real cause of death of Qureshi,” the JSQM leaders claimed. “The party has been compelled to announce the strike to lodge a protest.”
To a question about the inclusion of hosts (where Qureshi had his last dinner) in the inquiry, the JSQM senior vice chairman said that the people had been friends and party workers for a past many years ands can be fully trusted.
Kalani alleged that Qureshi’s death was pre-planned by “anti-Sindh elements” after the massive Freedom Rally, in which millions of Sindhis had rejected the resolution of March 23, 1940.
Earlier, Dr Umer Memon, the head of Sindh Health Department’s committee formed to investigate the death of Qureshi, informed the media that the amount of organophosphates in the body parts examined was found above normal levels. Organophosphates are the basis of many insecticides, herbicides and nerve gases, and are widely used as solvents, plasticizers and EP additives. Organophosphate poisoning causes acetylcholinesterase inhibition, leading to the accumulation of acetylcholine in the body. Poisoning most commonly results from exposure to insecticides or nerve agents.
“As per the report, Qureshi had suffered a major heart attack which resulted in his death,” he said. “The heirs of the former JSQM chief may approach any international laboratory for their satisfaction.”
The medical report on reasons behind Qureshi’s death would be submitted to the Sindh government today (Friday).
ALTAF CALLS FOR INTERNATIONAL EXPERTS: Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Altaf Hussain said on Thursday that international experts should be called to investigate the death of JSQM chairman Bashir Qureshi. He said this while talking with JSQM leader Dr Niaz Kalani on telephone.
Hussain supported the JSQM demand for investigations to be carried out by international experts and said that foreign experts should be called to investigate the cause of death in the same manner as were called to inquire the death of former chief of army staff General Asif Nawaz.
“Foreign experts with the capacity to conduct DNA and other forensic tests in order to determine if the cause of death was by poisoning should be called,” the MQM chief said. He said there is unrest among the people of Sindh, particularly the JSQM activists, after the death of Qureshi and called for bringing real facts before the public.
Hussain again expressed solidarity with the JSQM leaders and assured that the Urdu-speaking and Sindhi-speaking people of Sindh would continue to make united efforts for obtaining the rights of their province.