Aamir Liaquat autopsy: Body to be exhumed on June 23

• Six-member medical board, headed by police surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed, has been formed for the autopsy.
• Board comprises additional police surgeon Shahid Nizam, JPMC's Forensics Medicine HOD, others.
• Samples for autopsy to be collected from grave without shifting Hussain's mortal remains.

KARACHI: Famous televangelist and PTI MNA Aamir Liaquat's body will be exhumed on Thursday morning (June 23), a notification issued by the Sindh health department said on Tuesday.

The announcement comes in response to court orders for the exhumation of Hussain's body for an autopsy so a cause of death can be ascertained. The sudden death of the televangelist on June 9 had sent shock waves across the country.

A six-member medical board has been formed for the autopsy.  Police surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed will head the board.

Additional police surgeon Shahid Nizam, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre's Forensics Medicine Head of the Department Pervaiz Makhdoom, medico-legal officer Dr Areeb Baqai, forensic expert Dr Hari Ram and Dr Gulzar Ali are part of the medical board.

The samples for the post-mortem will be collected from Hussain's grave in Abdullah Shah Ghazi graveyard, without shifting the mortal remains to another place.

Court approves plea seeking autopsy

The judicial magistrate (East) in Karachi on Saturday approved a petition seeking the autopsy of the anchorperson.

A petition was filed stating that Hussain's sudden death has raised suspicions among his fans and it is suspected that he was killed over a property dispute.

The petitioner requested the court to form a special board for the exhumation and autopsy of Hussain, saying that identifying the cause of his death was necessary.

In its order, the court said that Liaquat’s family — the “heirs of his grave” — have maintained that conducting the anchorperson’s post-mortem would violate the sanctity of his grave.

But the court said that if the death is suspicious and there is a fear that a crime might have been committed, then the law will have to take its course.

Responding to the order, Hussain's former wife Dr Bushra Iqbal raised several questions on performing an autopsy on Hussain.

She urged fans to be vocal in opposing the autopsy as it "is a painful procedure for dead people and Islam doesn’t allow it".

Death

The PTI dissident was found unconscious at his house situated in Khudadad Colony of the metropolis, according to his servant Javaid.

The 50-year-old was rushed to a hospital where he could not be resuscitated and was pronounced dead.

His death came as a shock to the media industry and people vented anger at the social media trolls who had hounded the TV host for his botched third marriage.

The body of the PTI lawmaker was handed over to his family for burial only after Judicial Magistrate Naukar Abbas allowed it.

While police were insisting on conducting an autopsy to ascertain the cause of death, Hussain's estranged family members, who came only for his last rites, insisted that a postmortem will delay the funeral.

The body was received by the late anchor's son and last rites were conducted by Chippa. Hussain was laid to rest in a graveyard on the premises of the Abdullah Shah Ghazi shrine in Clifton.