Karachi: Pakistani authorities have formed a team comprising of senior security and intelligence officials to interrogate Saulat Mirza, a convict on death row, whose leaked video just hours before his hanging created a stir on Pakistan’s political scene.

Amir Ali Shaikh, the additional inspector general of police, who is currently heading the traffic police would lead the six-member joint investigation (JIT) team to interrogate Mirza, a former activist of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) over his claims that high command of the party ordered the murder, he was convicted for.

Mirza was about to be hanged at the dawn of March 19 but a video was leaked on the national television channels, showing Mirza claiming that Altaf Hussain, the MQM chief, who lives in self exile since 1992, gave him the orders on telephone, Mirza heard at the residence of Babar Ghauri, a senior MQM leader and senator.

The MQM defector was awarded the death sentence in 1997 for murdering Malik Shahid, the then managing director of Karachi Electric Supply Corporation (KESC). Mirza was languishing in the jail because of an undeclared moratorium on death punishment in the country.

Mirza’s statement, which were seemingly recorded a few days before his hanging, was leaked to the national broadcasting channels just hours before his execution prompting the president office to issue orders deferring his hanging till next 72 hours.

Later on, the prime minister office sought further extension of Mirza’s life for about a month and the president granted the request.

Subsequently, the provincial Sindh government has formed the six-member JIT which also comprise officials of Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) and Military Intelligence (MI), the two prime Pakistani agencies.

The JIT has been mandated to interview Mirza to cross check Mirza’s claims and to see whether the veracity of his statement could be established.

The authorities have conveyed to the jail superintendent of Macch Jail, where Mirza is imprisoned, about the formation of the JIT. The jail authorities have been asked to cooperate with the team in their interrogations.

Mirza held out in his statement that he repented what he did as a party activist and expressed disappointment over being ‘used as a tissue paper’ by the party leadership.

The MQM, nevertheless, had rejected all allegations levelled by Mirza against the party, saying it was a part of maligning MQM under an ongoing propaganda wave against it.