Govt U-turn clears way for Mir Raza's exhumation

Authorities reverse course after the family's objections

KARACHI:

Authorities on Friday restored the original medical board to oversee the exhumation and re-postmortem of Wafflix owner Mir Raza Ali, reversing a controversial decision that had triggered strong objections from his family and forced the process to be postponed.

The exhumation will now take place at 11am on Saturday (today), with police and other relevant authorities directed to make all necessary arrangements.

The latest order replaces the disputed five-member panel with the original eight-member medical board that the family had consistently demanded, effectively ending a legal standoff over who should conduct the court-ordered re-postmortem.

Under the revised notification, Karachi Police Surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed will serve as convener of the board. Dow University professor Dr Naseem has been appointed as the pathologist, Dr Farrukh will serve as the forensic expert, while CPLC official Amir has been included as the forensic identification expert. Dr Kamran, Dr Sri Chand and Dr Daniyal have also been retained as members of the board.

The restoration of the original board comes less than 24 hours after the exhumation was deferred when the Mir family rejected a newly constituted medical panel, arguing that only the board originally formed under court orders could ensure a transparent and credible investigation into the 25-year-old entrepreneur's death.

Earlier in the day, the exhumation was deferred amid a dispute over the constitution of a medical board, with the bereaved family rejecting a newly notified panel and insisting on the original eight-member board. The body was to be exhumed for a re-postmortem, but the process was halted after the family expressed no confidence in a medical board formed late on Thursday night.

Consultations continued for hours among the police surgeon, judicial magistrate, investigating officer (IO), the deceased's family and their counsel. The IO submitted the family's statement to the magistrate, while Ali's father, Mir Hassan, and lawyer Jibran Nasir also moved separate applications challenging the new board, prompting authorities to defer the exhumation.

Speaking to the media, Mir Hassan said he had full confidence in the original board and would not accept any change. He said he had approached the court himself for exhumation, but a fresh notification was issued overnight, which he rejected. "We have maintained from day one that it is a murder case," he said, adding that a delay of a few days would not deter them.

The bereaved father also questioned remarks attributed to the Sindh police chief about an early resolution of the case, saying such claims were premature when the exhumation and re-postmortem had yet to take place.