NAWABSHAH, Oct 3: In a dramatic move, Nawabshah police on Wednesday registered an FIR of Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz Bashir Khan Qureshi’s murder. Mr Qureshi, chairman of the party, died on April 7 under mysterious circumstances. Since then his party, insisting that he was murdered, has been running a sustained campaign for the registration of a murder FIR but in vain.

According to sources the FIR (No:181/2012) was registered under Section 302 of PPC against unidentified persons at the Sakrand police station. It was, however, sealed.

Deputy Inspector-General, Hyderabad Range, Sanaullah Abbasi, during his visit to Nawabshah on Wednesday, held meetings with the SPP, DSP and SHO concerned before the FIR was registered at the Sakrand police station, the sources added.

No official at the police station appeared ready to share details of the FIR. Rather, all of them expressed their unawareness about the registration of the case.

However, Nawabshah SSP Sarwar Abro, when contacted, claimed that the FIR was lodged on a complaint of Maqsood Qureshi, brother of the deceased.

When asked about the names of nominated suspects, he avoided to share any details and said that the complainant’s application was exactly followed and the prosecution DSP would informed the media about it.

DIG Abbasi, when approached for his comment, said that he was too busy to talk at the moment as he had to deliver a lecture at the S.M. Law College.

In the meantime, Maqsood Qureshi said that the FIR was almost similar to that of Benazir Bhutto’s assassination as registered during Gen Musharraf’s government.

He said that neither he nor his party acknowledged the FIR, recalling that a large number of JSQM workers and supporters led by the deceased leader’s son, Sannan Qureshi, had only on Monday approached the police for the registration of the FIR but the police refused to oblige them.

“Suddenly on Wednesday morning, the SSP approached us and offered registration of a murder FIR,” he said.

He apprehended the police might have manipulated the facts to register the FIR on behalf of the state instead of him.

He said the police was not ready to show him the FIR, adding that in his application he had nominated certain suspects as his brother had earlier been attacked many times by his opponents, including an official of a security agency who was caught red-handed.

The police did nothing against the assailant, he said.

Sannan Qureshi said he intended to approach court on Oct 15 to seek its order for registration of the case.