Pakistan: Court sets aside June 18 order allowing Aamir Liaquat's exhumation

Karachi [Pakistan], August 16 : A Karachi court in Pakistan on Tuesday set aside a June 18 judicial magistrate's verdict ordering the exhumation and post-mortem examination of deceased Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MNA and televangelist Aamir Liaquat Hussain.
After his death in June, the police had wanted to perform an autopsy but conducted only a preliminary examination before relinquishing custody of the body to his family after they refused a post-mortem, Dawn newspaper reported.
He was buried the following day, as per the publication.
On June 18, a Karachi judicial magistrate ordered authorities to conduct a post-mortem on the televangelist's body after which a six-member medical board was constituted for the purpose.
This order was challenged by the former lawmaker's children, Dawn reported.
In the court order copy cited by Dawn, Additional Sessions Judge-II (East) Ghulam Mustafa Laghari said it seemed the magistrate had "committed material irregularity and illegality in passing the impugned order, which is illegal and requires interference by this court".
Thus, Judge Laghari said, the trial court's order was illegal, set aside and allowed the instant revision application.
He explained that the case laws submitted by the counsel of Abdul Ahad --on whose petition the magistrate issued the order to exhume Aamir -- were "distinguishable and not applicable" to the facts and circumstances of the current case.
On June 9, Pakistan's former Member of the National Assembly (MNA) and popular television host Amir Liaquat, 49, passed away in Karachi under mysterious circumstances.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader was found unconscious at his home in Khudad Colony and shifted to a private hospital in a critical condition.
The doctors said that Liaquat was dead when he was brought to the hospital.
The body of the PTI lawmaker was handed over to his family for burial only after Judicial Magistrate Naukar Abbas allowed it.