Journalist Aziz Memon's murder: Sindh govt changes JIT head

A day after the formation of the Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to investigate the murder of journalist Aziz Memon, the Sindh government has announced that the previously appointed head of the probe team was being replaced.

In a notification issued on Saturday, the Sindh government said that Additional Inspector-General of Police (AIG) Karachi Ghulam Nabi Memon will now head the JIT "to ensure that the real motive and culprits involved in such heinous acts are exposed".

When the JIT had been constituted, the government had appointed the AIG for Hyderabad Region, Dr Waliullah Dal, to lead it.

"The JIT shall investigate/examine/interrogate the matter within fifteen (15) days and submit its report to this department within a week's time at the end of the interrogation period i.e. fifteen days," read the notification issued by the provincial government's Home Department today.

Aziz Memon was a journalist associated with a local Sindhi channel and newspaper who was found murdered last month in Naushehro Feroze and had died of suffocation, according to a post-mortem examination report released by authorities.

Memon's body was recovered from a river on February 16, with a cable wrapped around his neck. The local reporter had earlier accused the PPP, as well as Naushehro Feroze police, of threatening him for unflattering reporting of party chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari's widely-publicised 'train march' last year.

Shortly after news of the journalist's murder broke, journalists in Islamabad had protested against his killing and asked the chief Jjustice to look into the matter.

Federal Minister Fawad Chaudhry had noted in particular that the slain journalist had made allegations against the ruling party in Sindh prior to his death, and suggested that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) should investigate the murder.

Provincial Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah had condemned Memon's death, saying authorities would soon catch his killers.

Memon was carrying out his duties independently, Shah had stated, claiming that a video of the slain journalist — in which he referred to threats to his life — was an "old" one.