Post-mortem report reveals journalist Aziz Memon died of asphyxiation

The cause of journalist Aziz Memon's death last month was asphyxiation, a post-mortem report released Friday showed.

The body of Memon, a journalist associated with a local Sindhi channel and newspaper, was recovered from a river on February 16, with a mic cable wrapped around his neck.

The local reporter had earlier accused the PPP, as well as Naushehro Feroze police, of threatening him for unflattering reporting of party chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari's widely-publicised 'train march' in 2019.

Shortly after news of the journalist's murder broke, journalists in Islamabad had protested against his killing and asked the Chief Justice to look into the matter.

JIT set up to probe murder

Separately, the government of Sindh also set up a joint investigation team (JIT) under Additional Inspector-General of Police (AIG) for Hyderabad Region Dr Waliullah Dal to probe Memon's murder, a notification from the provincial home department issued Friday confirmed.

Approved by Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, the nine-member JIT would submit a report on their findings in 15 days, the notification added.

The JIT comprises officers from the police, Intelligence Bureau (IB), and Special Branch.

Earlier, a day after the journalist was found dead, Science and Technology Minister Fawad Chaudhry had also urged the top judge to take notice of Memon's mysterious death.

'Old' video

Chaudhry had noted in particular that the slain journalist had made allegations against the ruling party in Sindh prior to his death, and suggested that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) should investigate the murder.

Shah, the chief minister, had condemned Memon's death, saying authorities would soon catch his killers.

Memon was carrying out his duties independently, Shah had stated, claiming that a video of the slain journalist — in which he referred to threats to his life — was an "old" one.