KARACHI, June 28: Following an impression that the police are trying to cover up the mysterious death of the former federal minister, Omar Asghar Khan, the Sindh police has recommended a judicial inquiry into the incident.

Talking to Dawn on Friday, Inspector General of Police, Sindh, Syed Kamal Shah, said that since it appeared in the national press, creating the impression that the police were trying to hush up the incident, the police had recommended the home department to constitute a judicial inquiry into the incident and let the facts be known to the family as well as the people.

To a question that past precedence indicated that the judicial inquiries were constituted in cases in which the police were party such as police encounters, custodial deaths, etc, Kamal Shah said the press reports in national dailies had created an impression that the police were allegedly trying to cover up foul play and under these circumstances, the judicial inquiry was imperative. “It’s report will be binding for us and if it declares it as homicide, we will take action accordingly,” he added.

He disclosed that the police had obtained the postmortem examination report of Omar Asghar Khan, in which the doctors declared it asphyxia or death by handing. The report of chemical examination of the victim’s body viscera would be submitted to the police surgeon office first, from where the police would obtain it hopefully early next week.

About the final note written supposedly by Omar Asghar Khan and found in the room, the IG said that the police would get expert opinion on the handwriting on Saturday. The note reads: “All my dear ones, I could not take it anymore, please excuse me. I am doing this on my own and no one else is to blame.”

He said none of the family members of Omar Asghar Khan had so far either contacted the police or expressed any suspicion about his death.