KARACHI: The chemical examiner has not found any poisonous substance in the body of Prof Dr Hasan Zafar Arif, the deceased academician and deputy convener of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM-London), an official said on Tuesday.

He added that the chemical examination report was finalised and sent to the medico-legal section of the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, which would now compile its autopsy report.

“According to the report, Dr Arif’s body was examined for 17 substances and none was found in his system,” the official said citing the report’s finding.

Meanwhile, the MQM-London rejected the report and insisted that Dr Arif was murdered. In a statement, MQM-London coordination committee convener Dr Nadeem Ehsan condemned the authorities.

“This is a fake report, compilation of which was deliberately delayed to falsely maintain that the cause of death was natural.

“The MQM rejects it as it is prepared to deceive the people. The facts cannot be concealed for long as everyone knows that Prof Arif was assassinated in the custody of security forces,” he said.

Prof Arif’s death had triggered speculations about its cause after his body was found in a car in Ilyas Goth. Apart from leaders of the different factions of the MQM, which expressed their shock over his mysterious death, the PPP chairman tweeted that he was “deeply disturbed by the murder” of Prof Arif and “there needs to be a complete investigation”.

Published in Dawn, January 24th, 2018