Leading Scottish Lawyer, QC Paul McBride, was found dead in his hotel room in Pakistan, on Sunday.

Mr McBride apparently died of cardiac arrest, but police have recovered empty bottles of liquor and covers of diazepam tablets from his room, reported The Nation.

The high-profile lawyer was reportedly in Pakistan along with his friends Fareed and Anwar Aslam to work on a case and to attend a marriage ceremony of his friend's son.

"After attending the ceremony, on Saturday night they rented three rooms in the hotel and went to sleep in separate rooms. But we learned he was found dead around 2:15 am on Sunday," Munawar Hanjer, an investigation officer, told the scribe from The Nation.

But he ruled out the possibility that Mr McBride was murdered saying he died probably due to drugs' influence.

Another leading Scottish lawyer, Anwar said that he had become concerned about Mr McBride after failing to reach him on the phone after several attempts, reported BBC.

He told BBC Scotland that McBride was not feeling well and he convinced the hotel security to break into his room to check if he was all right.

A statement issued on behalf of Mr McBride's family read: "Paul died in his sleep last night in a hotel in Pakistan." It added: "I understand Paul was found dead in bed this morning. He had been in Pakistan for a few days and I am uncertain when he was to return to Scotland."

Several Scottish leaders and lawyers paid tributes to the lawyer.

"This is sad and shocking news. Paul McBride was an outstanding advocate, and a very substantial public figure in Scotland," BBC quoted First Minister Alex Salmond as saying.

Mr McBride, who hailed from Edinburgh, was a board member of the Scottish Legal Aid Board. He had been involved in high-profile international cases. Two men, who have been accused of conspiring to murder him along with Celtic boss Neil Lennon last year are currently on trial in Glasgow.

Pakistan