Sindh defers judicial probe into Mir Raza killing after family backs new police team

Jibran Nasir says family had neither requested nor consented to a judicial commission

KARACHI:

The Sindh government on Monday deferred its decision to establish a judicial commission to investigate the killing of Wafflix owner Mir Raza Ali after his family expressed confidence in the newly constituted police investigation team, Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar said. 

Lanjar, in a post on X, said the provincial government had initially decided to hold a judicial inquiry to ensure transparency in the case and provide the family with “complete satisfaction”.

He said Karachi Mayor Barrister Murtaza Wahab had spoken to Mir Raza’s mother about the matter. “However, after the constitution of the new police investigation team, the family’s position was that they had confidence in the new police team and that it should investigate the matter,” Lanjar said.

Mayor Karachi @murtazawahab1 has spoken to the mother of deceased Mir Raza. Sindh Govt had decided to conduct judicial inquiry to ensure transparency & complete satisfaction of the family. However, after constitution of the new police investigation team
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— Zia ul Hassan Lanjar (@ZiaLanjar) August 10, 2026

“Therefore, on the request of the parents, the decision to establish a judicial commission has been deferred for the time being,” he added.

The development came a day after Mir Raza’s family counsel Jibran Nasir said the family had neither requested nor consented to a judicial commission.

Family of #MirRaza has not requested/consented to any judicial commission nor we believe it's required at this stage. New investigation team has been formed which family will meet tomorrow. Sindh Govt should not try to create hurdles/confusion in name of "facilitation".

— M. Jibran Nasir 🇵🇸 (@MJibranNasir) August 9, 2026

“Family of Mir Raza has not requested/consented to any judicial commission nor do we believe it’s required at this stage,” Nasir said in a post on X on Sunday night. He said the newly constituted investigation team would meet the family on Monday.

Nasir also urged the Sindh government not to interfere with the investigation and "should not try to create hurdles/confusion in the name of ‘facilitation’."

The Sindh government had decided on Sunday to constitute a judicial commission headed by a Sindh High Court judge to oversee a transparent and impartial investigation into Mir Raza’s killing.

Home Minister Lanjar had announced the decision after visiting the family with Karachi Mayor Barrister Murtaza Wahab and senior police officials. He had said the government would approach the SHC chief justice to request the formation of the commission on the recommendation of Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah.

The proposed commission was to examine the two medical reports prepared in connection with Mir Raza’s death, particularly any discrepancies between their findings. Lanjar had said the commission would also oversee the newly constituted police investigation team headed by Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Amir Farooqi.

Victim's business partner goes missing 

Separately, the victim's father, speaking to the media on Monday (today), alleged that his son's business partner had gone missing after being questioned by police, raising fresh questions about the investigation into his son’s killing.

Ali’s father, Mir Hassan, said police had questioned his son’s business partner once, after which he went missing. He said the family had not been informed about the investigation conducted with employees of the guest house in Gulistan-e-Johar, where Ali’s body had been found.

“We have not been told what investigations were conducted with the employees of the guest house,” Hassan said, adding that CCTV footage from the guest house had also not been made public.

Investigation under renewed scrutiny

The development came as the case continued to undergo renewed scrutiny following Ali’s exhumation and a second post-mortem, which had found a firearm injury, multiple ante-mortem wounds and signs of internal bleeding.

The second post-mortem had found an entry wound on the upper right side of Mir Raza’s back and an exit wound on the left side of his chest. The bullet had fractured his sixth rib and caused internal bleeding, while injuries had also been recorded on various parts of his head, face, neck and chest.

Police had subsequently added Section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code, pertaining to murder, to the FIR that had initially been registered under Section 365, relating to kidnapping.

Ali, 25, had allegedly been kidnapped from PECHS before his body was found in bushes near a wedding hall in Gulistan-e-Johar. Police had suspected that he was tortured before being shot.

The case had initially been surrounded by uncertainty over whether Ali had been murdered or had died by suicide. However, the findings of the second post-mortem had strengthened his family’s longstanding claim that he had been killed.

The first post-mortem had also come under scrutiny after Karachi Police Surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed raised 14 objections to the report, pointing out that the body had not been X-rayed, hand swabs had not been collected for gunshot residue analysis and the firearm injuries had not been scientifically measured or photographed.

She had also raised questions over the documentation of the bullet’s trajectory and the examination of the entry and exit wounds.

Following the developments, police had disbanded the earlier investigation team and constituted a new team headed by DIG Crime and Investigation Amir Farooqi. The team included senior police officers and was tasked with conducting a fresh examination of the case in light of the new medical findings.

The new team was also expected to revisit the crime scene, re-question the victim’s family and other relevant individuals, and examine physical, technical, circumstantial and forensic evidence.

The family had repeatedly questioned the handling of the case and had maintained from the outset that Mir Raza had been murdered.

Family lawyer Jibran Nasir had also alleged that investigators had pressured the family to accept a suicide narrative rather than pursuing those responsible for Ali's death. He had demanded a fresh and impartial investigation.