Under pressure: JSQM demands inquiry into Bashir Qureshi’s death

Activists burn tyres and block the National Highway.

SUKKUR: Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz activists staged a sit-in at the Babarloi bypass and shouted slogans against the Sindh government on Sunday.

Led by JSQM’s acting chairman Dr Niaz Kalani and others, the protesters burnt tyres and blocked the National Highway, due to which traffic between Sindh and Punjab remained suspended for hours.

Kalani criticised the Sindh government for failing to determine the cause of Bashir Qureshi’s death after the passage of one month. “We were afraid that Bashir Qureshi would be killed, as he was a true follower of Saen G M Syed and a loyal son of [Sindh’s] soil.”

Dr Kalani said that Bashir Qureshi’s opponents were surprised when scores of Sindhis turned out for JSQM’s rally on March 23 in Karachi. “His death is an irreparable loss for Sindh and Sindhis,” said Kalani, while alleging that doctors deliberately wrote a confusing postmortem report.

Qureshi’s viscera were sent to a laboratory in Karachi for examination, but the 15-member team of doctors could not determine the cause of his death. Kalani reiterated the party’s demand to the Sindh government to conduct an independent inquiry and to present the culprits responsible for allegedly murdering their leader.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 14^th, 2012.