NAWABSHAH: The joint investigation team looking into the alleged murder of senior journalist Aziz Memon met in the office of the Nawabshah DIG on Saturday to discuss progress of the probe and exchange views on the evidence collected so far.

The meeting, chaired by the JIT’s head, Additional IG Ghulam Nabi Memon, concluded that although his just released DNA report suggested traces of some other human epithelial remains/DNA to be present, this did not prove that he was actually murdered.

The body of Mr Memon, who worked for Sindhi language Kawish newspaper and television network, was found floating in a waterway near his hometown, Mehrabpur, on Feb 16. Police could not immediately establish whether it was a murder, suicide or an accidental death case.

Speaking to local reporters after the meeting, AIG Memon said the JIT investigated the blind case from different angles over the last 55 days. He said the family was persuaded to allow a fresh post-mortem examination after report of the previous one was alleged to have been manipulated. Now the second one provided further evidence, he added.

Cautioning stakeholders against jumping to a conclusion, the AIG pointed out that although doctors’ reports and circumstantial evidence made investigators to think it might be a murder case, other aspects were yet to be considered as more medical reports were awaited. Until then, it could not be established whether Mr Memon was murdered, he said.

Regarding the bereaved family’s insistence that he was killed, the JIT chief said only the first post-mortem report stating that drowning was not the actual cause of his death created an impression that he might have been murdered.He hoped that things would become clear in the next few days.

Published in Dawn, April 13th, 2020