Pak investigator probing PM Raja Pervez Ashraf graft case found dead

A senior Pakistani investigator probing graft charges involving Premier Raja Pervez Ashraf was found dead in mysterious circumstances at his official accommodation in Islamabad on Friday, with his relatives alleging that he may have been murdered. Kamran Faisal, an Assistant Director of the National Accountability Bureau, was found hanging from a fan in his room at the Federal Lodges in Islamabad, police officials said.

Preliminary investigations suggested he had allegedly committed suicide, they said. Islamabad Police chief Bin Yamin said the cause of death would be established by an autopsy. Doctors who performed the autopsy at state-run Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences refused to talk to the media about their findings.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik said he had ordered a magisterial inquiry into the incident. A six-member medical board was formed to help determine the cause of death. Several of Faisal's relatives at his hometown of Mian Channu in Punjab province alleged that he could have been murdered for his role in investigating accusations that Prime Minister Ashraf had taken bribes from companies that set up "rental power plants".

They asked the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court to order an independent investigation. Faisal's father Abdul Hamid told reporters that his son rarely spoke about his work. His uncle Tariq Masood said he had last spoken to Faisal on phone at 9 pm on Thursday night.

"He was normal and under no mental pressure. He was happy and doing his work diligently," Masood said. Mohammad Afzal, a cousin of the dead official, said Faisal may have been facing "pressure and worries" because of the important case he was handling. "He could not have committed suicide. He must have been facing problems or someone misbehaved with him. We ask the Chief Justice to order a transparent inquiry," he said.

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