Samples sent for testing as Mir Raza Ali's re-postmortem completed after exhumation

A medical board member says 'We are not certain that this body belongs to Ali'

The re-postmortem of Wafflix owner Mir Raza Ali’s body was completed on Saturday after an eight-member medical board exhumed his grave in Karachi’s Tariq Road cemetery and collected samples for DNA testing and chemical examination.

“The post-mortem examination of the body has been completed and samples sent for testing,” a member of the medical board, Professor Dr Naseem, said during a press conference outside Tariq Road graveyard.

The exhumation and re-postmortem of Ali, initially scheduled for Friday, were postponed by a day after his family raised strong objections to a change in the medical board. Authorities later restored the original board to oversee the process.

Detailing the processes, Naseem said the samples from the dead body had been collected and preserved for submission to a laboratory for detailed examination, including DNA testing and chemical analysis.

He highlighted that the judicial magistrate and the police surgeon supervised the exhumation, post-mortem examination, and re-burial of the corpse.

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

Advocate Jibran Nasir told the media that the exhumation began at 11:07am, after which the post-mortem examination was completed.

Nasir said the required evidence had been collected from the deceased's body and that the medical board had received answers to questions raised by the police surgeon.

"An initial report is expected by 6pm on Saturday, while the final report will be prepared after chemical examination," he said.

Nasir said the medical board's findings would clarify key questions over whether the death was a suicide or murder and determine whether the injuries were self-inflicted or caused by someone else.

"We are satisfied with today's medical board and the proceedings," Nasir said.

He thanked the judiciary for taking up the matter, saying the court had taken notice of alleged police negligence.

Nasir said the facts would help put an end to rumours and speculation surrounding the case.

Medical Board Member and CPLC Official Amir Hasan, while speaking to The Express Tribune regarding the murder case, said, “We are not certain that this body belongs to Ali.”

“The board has collected the body’s DNA sample along with the DNA samples of Ali's parents to ascertain identification,” he added.

Hasan asserted that DNA testing would reveal if the exhumed body belonged to Ali or not.

Read more: Mir Raza's father demands justice as police defend probe

A day earlier, following an appeal from Ali’s family, the authorities restored the constitution of an eight-member board originally directed by the court. The family had rejected the five-member board, casting doubt over a transparent and credible investigation into the young entrepreneur's death.

According to the revised notification, Karachi Police Surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed was appointed as the convener of the medical board. DOW University Professor Dr Naseem as pathologist, Dr Farrukh as forensic expert, and Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) Official Amir Hasan as the forensic identification expert. Meanwhile, Dr Kamran, Dr Sri Chand and Dr Daniyal have also been recognised as members of the board.