Post-mortem to be carried out on Paul McBride

A POST-MORTEM examination on the body of top Scottish QC Paul McBride will take place today.

He was found dead in a Pakistan hotel on Sunday, the night after attending a wedding.

Mr McBride, described as “outstanding” and “gifted”, was on a business trip to Lahore with Glasgow-based human rights lawyer Aamer Anwar.

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Mr Anwar said he persuaded security staff at the Pearl Continental hotel to break open the door of Mr McBride’s room after becoming concerned when he failed to answer his phone on Sunday morning.

Both lawyers had been attending a wedding the previous evening but Mr McBride returned to his room early, feeling unwell. Police believe he died of natural causes.

Mr Anwar has remained in Pakistan to help bring his friend’s body home.

He said today that a post-mortem examination will take place at Mayo Hospital in Lahore, performed by Professor Khalid Aziz.

Mr Anwar added: “Following this, I will be taking Paul to Islamabad where a priest will conduct the last rites and prayers and then make arrangements to bring Paul home.”

Mr Anwar has accused the British High Commission of failing to help him deal with the situation.

He said he, along with the Scottish Government and police, had been trying to get the High Commission to send someone to Lahore to help him bring Mr McBride’s body back to the UK.

However, he said officials maintained that they that they “do not have the capacity” to send anyone to the city, which is the capital of the province of Punjab.

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Last night, Mr Anwar branded the refusal “a disgrace” and “an insult”, and said it would prolong “the agony of those who want Paul to be home as soon as possible”.

He went on: “The Scottish Government, the First Minister, Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs Fiona Hyslop, Strathclyde Police and others have been trying their best to get the British High Commission to send someone to Lahore to help me bring Paul home.”

Mr Anwar understands that First Minister Alex Salmond will speak to Foreign Secretary William Hague this morning to request more assistance in Pakistan.

He added: “I hope that, by this evening, I will be able to confirm that Paul will be home by Thursday or Friday at the latest.

“I’m grateful to the authorities in Pakistan and the Scottish Government, Crown Office and Strathclyde Police, who have tried their best to offer support and comfort in these difficult circumstances.”

Tributes have been paid to Mr McBride across Scotland.

He was a former member of Labour and the Scottish Conservatives and both parties praised his talents.

Scottish Labour leader Johann Lamont said he was “one of the finest legal minds of his generation” and Tory MSP Jackson Carlaw described him as “an outstanding legal talent”.

Mr Salmond said Mr McBride was a “substantial public figure in Scotland”.

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He said: “Paul’s genius lay not just in applying his first-class mind to the complex procedures of Scots law, but also his unrivalled ability to explain and promote the laws of Scotland to a wider public.”

Last night, Celtic Football Club manager Neil Lennon said he was “completely devastated” by Mr McBride’s death, adding that it “left a huge void”.

Mr McBride represented Celtic on disciplinary matters and was said to be a life-long fan of the club.

In a statement released on Celtic’s official website, Mr Lennon said: “On behalf of myself, my backroom staff and my players, I would like to send our sincere condolences to Paul’s family and Paul’s partner, Gary.

“Personally, I am completely devastated. Paul was a close friend of mine and my family’s, as is Gary.

“Paul’s passing has left a huge void in our lives. He was a magnificent man with a brilliant mind, and when he walked into a room he was a force of nature. I will miss him terribly.”

Two men are on trial in Glasgow accused of plotting to kill Mr Lennon and Mr McBride, along with ex-MSP Trish Godman and various people in the premises of Irish Republican organisation Cairde Na Heireann, in an alleged letter bomb plot.

The trial was adjourned yesterday as a “mark of respect” to the lawyer.

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Mr McBride had been due to give evidence in the case at the High Court in Glasgow.

Neil McKenzie and Trevor Muirhead deny conspiracy by sending improvised explosive devices between March 1 and April 15 last year.