Sindh defers judicial commission in Mir Raza murder case

Decision made after family backs new probe team

KARACHI:

The Sindh government has deferred the formation of a judicial commission in the Mir Raza Ali murder case after the victim's family expressed confidence in a newly constituted police investigation team.

Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar said the government had earlier decided to order a judicial inquiry to ensure transparency and address the concerns of the bereaved family.

In a statement, he said Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab had also contacted the victim's mother in this regard.

However, following the formation of a new investigation team, the family conveyed its trust in the police to carry out the probe, the minister added.

Lanjar clarified that the decision to establish a judicial commission had been deferred for now at the request of the parents.

He reiterated that the provincial government remained committed to ensuring justice and would take all necessary steps to guarantee a transparent investigation.

Mir Raza Ali, 25, an Institute of Business Administration (IBA) graduate and owner of Wafflix, went missing on July 28. His body was found a day later with a gunshot wound in bushes near Shahi Qila Ground in Gulistan-e-Jauhar.

According to police, preliminary findings suggest that Ali had been facing financial difficulties and had sought money from friends on the night of his death.

Investigators said he left his residence in PECHS Block-2 and hired a ride through a mobile app. The driver reportedly dropped him a short distance from where his body was later recovered. While the family has maintained that Ali was kidnapped, tortured and murdered, investigators are also examining the possibility of suicide, citing evidence related to his mental state.

The case took a new turn when Karachi Police Surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed, in a television interview, pointed to inconsistencies in the post-mortem findings, particularly regarding the entry wound, bullet trajectory and exit wound.

Subsequently, the family sought exhumation and a fresh post-mortem. A court approved the request; however, the process was delayed at the eleventh hour after the family objected to the newly formed medical board and demanded that the earlier board conduct the autopsy.

A subsequent post-mortem report cast doubt on the suicide theory and indicated the possibility of homicide.