ISLAMABAD, May 8: Germany on Monday shared with Pakistan the purported suicide note of Amir Cheema, who was found dead in a Berlin prison while he faced a trial for allegedly trying to attack an editor over publication of sacrilegious cartoons.

The move came a day before a team of the Federal Investigation Agency was scheduled to leave for Berlin to investigate the circumstances under which he had died.

Sources in the German embassy told Dawn that the suicide note had been handed over to the Foreign Office.

They claimed that the note written in Urdu prima facie showed that that Mr Cheema had committed suicide.

The note had not been shared by the government with the parents of the deceased till the filing of this report.

The sources said that it appeared from the note that Mr Cheema was under immense psychological pressure because of the cartoons and he had preferred death over life.

The note also included a will of the deceased, they said.

Mr Cheema’s family in Rawalpindi has claimed that he had been tortured to death by German authorities.

Opinion

Editorial

Missing justice
Updated 15 Jan, 2025

Missing justice

SC must at least ensure missing persons cases are heard with the urgency they deserve.
Racist talk
15 Jan, 2025

Racist talk

WHEN racist tropes are amplified by the expansive reach of social media, the affected communities face real-world...
Faceless customs
15 Jan, 2025

Faceless customs

THE launch of the faceless customs assessment system as part of the government’s Tax Transformation Plan is a...
Left behind
Updated 14 Jan, 2025

Left behind

Pakistan’s education statistics threaten to leave us behind in the global knowledge economy.
Mining tragedies
14 Jan, 2025

Mining tragedies

TWO recent deadly mining tragedies in Balochistan have once again exposed the hazardous nature of work in this...
Winter sports
14 Jan, 2025

Winter sports

FOR a country with huge winter sports potential, events in Pakistan are few and far between. Therefore, the start of...