Murtaza chinoy murder: Court orders independent probe

Chinoy's friends said that the deceased lawyer was being threatened before his murder,

KARACHI:

During the hearing, the court also asked the IGP about the progress made in the investigation into the murder case of lawyer Murtaza Chinoy, who was shot dead in his office in Karachi’s upscale Zamzama area, and ordered independent investigations into the case.

The bench asked who was investigating the case, at which SSP Tariq Dharejo came forward. But the court said that the SSP can only supervise the probe and specifically asked for the investigating officer. A police sub-inspector then appeared before the court.

“Mr IG, we have directed that the investigations be carried out by a DSP-level officer,” the CJ said, observing that the police does not seem keen on investigating the case.

“No sir, this is not the case,” said the IGP. “Investigators are working on many leads, including a woman’s abduction, in which case the deceased lawyer was appearing as a counsel.”

SSP Dharejo quoted a friend of Chinoy, who was interrogated during the probe, that the deceased lawyer was being threatened. The deceased lawyer’s friend said that Chinoy was considering seeking assistance from the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) but he never came to police, Dharejo told the court.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 31^st,  2011.