HYDERABAD, April 3: The general secretary of the Hyderabad chapter of the Sindh High Court Bar Association, Zahoor A. Baloch, has questioned legal standing of the HDBA office-bearers' desire to form a committee to cross-examine police and jail officials over the March 15 central jail operation.

Seven inmates were killed and about 30 suffered injuries in the operation. District and Sessions Judge Faheem Ahmed Siddiqui is holding an inquiry into the operation and Jail Superintendent Pir Shabbir Jan Sirhandi, Hyderabad DPO Pir Farid Jan Sirhandi and over a dozen officials have so far recorded their statements.

Mr Baloch said the association could not cross-examine witnesses because it was an inquiry and not a trial.

HDBA President Nisar Durrnai said last week that he planned to form a committee of lawyers to get to the bottom of the matter.

But Mr Baloch said that none of the sitting and former HDBA officials had been engaged by the aggrieved party and, therefore, they had no locus standi to cross-examine witnesses.

He said the judge was not holding a trial in which witnesses needed to be cross-examined. It was an inquiry in which the court could seek assistance. Besides, none of the jail inmates had engaged any bar member to represent them even in the inquiry, he argued.