The family of Karachi entrepreneur Mir Raza Ali has rejected the Sindh government’s decision to appoint a judicial commission to investigate his death, saying it had not asked for such a commission and instead wanted the newly constituted police investigation team to complete its work.
The latest development adds another twist to the case, which has rapidly moved from an apparent suicide to an alleged murder over the past week, with conflicting medical findings, changes to investigation teams and repeated interventions by provincial authorities raising questions that need not have arisen had the case been handled transparently from the outset.
Ali, a 25-year-old IBA graduate and owner of the Wafflix restaurant, went missing on July 28 after leaving his home in Karachi and telling his family he would return within minutes. His body was found the following day with a gunshot wound.
Police initially investigated the death as a possible suicide, with investigators claiming Ali was under pressure due to financial difficulties. Police also claimed evidence he had sought a substantial loan shortly before his disappearance and an initial postmortem recorded a gunshot wound to the chest, which investigators said was consistent with the suicide theory.
Ali’s family, however, rejected that explanation almost immediately. His father, Mir Hussain Ali, questioned the circumstances in which his son’s body was found, alleging signs of violence and burning that had not been properly reflected in the first medical examination. He also questioned how his son could have traveled from his home to the location where his body was eventually discovered without any video evidence.
Controversial first postmortem
The dispute over the first postmortem set the stage for the subsequent investigation. The family sought a fresh examination, eventually approaching a judicial magistrate for permission to exhume the body.
The exhumation itself became controversial before it even took place. The government abruptly replaced a medical board initially constituted, prompting objections from the family and their lawyer, rights activist Jibran Nasir. Following the family’s refusal to accept the reconstituted board, the Sindh government restored the original eight-member board headed by Karachi Police Surgeon Dr. Summaiya Syed.
The fresh postmortem, lasting around three hours, with 17 samples collected, including material for DNA and chemical analysis, dramatically altered the direction of the investigation.
A preliminary report found Ali was shot from behind, with the entry wound on the upper right side of his back and the exit wound on the left side of his chest. It also documented multiple ante-mortem injuries, including injuries and fractures to the jaw and face, nasal injuries, wounds to the feet, a roughly 12-centimeter wound and fracture on the right thigh, chest injuries and a fractured sixth rib. The report also noted other marks of violence on the body.
The findings effectively undermined the original suicide theory and prompted police to add Section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code, relating to murder, to the FIR. The Sindh inspector general then dissolved the earlier investigation team and ordered a fresh inquiry headed by DIG Crime and Investigation Amir Farooqi.
Judicial inquiry
On Sunday, Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar announced the provincial government would seek a judicial inquiry headed by a Sindh High Court judge. The proposed body, he said, would examine the conflicting medical reports and oversee the investigation into the killing. The decision to appoint a judicial commission came on the recommendation by Sindh Health Minister Faryal Talpur, a senior PPP leader, who called for a transparent, impartial and comprehensive judicial investigation.
Lanjar also acknowledged the original crime scene was not preserved as required.
The family’s rejection of the judicial commission, however, has prompted the government to backtrack, with a spokesperson saying the plan would be shelved if the family did not agree to it. However, there has been as yet no formal announcement of the same.
Sharjeel Memon’s plea
Meanwhile, Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Memon has approached the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) over social media posts allegedly linking him and his son, Rawal Memon, to Ali’s death.
The complaint accuses unnamed social media accounts of disseminating what he describes as false, fabricated and malicious allegations. According to the complaint, posts have made claims involving a guesthouse allegedly associated with the minister, his son’s departure for London and the composition of the medical board.
Denying the allegations, the minister has characterized them as a malicious campaign.
Ongoing protests
Public anger over the mishandling of the case has spilled onto Karachi’s streets. Relatives, friends and other citizens staged a protest rally on Saturday demanding justice for Ali and accusing police of initially attempting to portray an alleged murder as suicide. The protesters have alleged the approach had the effect of shielding those responsible.
The protests, the family’s objections and the rapidly changing official position have transformed what should have been a straightforward criminal investigation into a highly contentious case. Amidst this, the family maintains its primary concern is who killed Ali, where he was between his disappearance and the discovery of his body, and why the initial investigation pointed in a fundamentally different direction. The credibility of answers to their question will depend on whether the authorities can now conduct the ongoing investigation transparently and without further mismanagement.