- Commission to examine flaws in investigation: Justice Sial.
- Judge directs govt to provide all documents for examination.
- Govt to be asked to offer Rs100,000 reward for information.
KARACHI: A judicial commission investigating the alleged murder of businessman Mir Raza Ali has begun proceedings, summoning the medico-legal officer, police officials and ambulance drivers.
Sindh High Court (SHC) Justice Omar Sial expressed condolences to the bereaved family as they appeared before the commission.
Jibran Nasir, who represents Ali’s family, previously rejected the Sindh government’s decision to form a judicial commission, saying it had been formed without informing the late businessman’s family.
Ali, an IBA graduate and businessman, was found dead in Karachi’s Gulistan-e-Jauhar a day after he went missing on July 28. His father has consistently maintained that his son was murdered and has rejected suggestions that the death was a case of suicide.
During its maiden proceedings, Ali’s father, mother and sister appeared before the commission, while Nasir was also called to the rostrum.
Mir Hussain, father of the late businessman, expressed a lack of confidence in the ongoing investigation into the circumstances surrounding his son’s death.
“Whatever happens in the judicial commission will be before everyone,” Justice Sial said, adding that what had happened previously had taken place behind closed doors.
He said the commission would seek answers to questions raised by the family and others, and would examine flaws in the investigation, police performance and negligence under its terms of reference.
Justice Sial clarified that an investigation was not the commission’s job, saying it would only identify mistakes.
He also pledged not to meet anyone during the commission’s proceedings. “Even if the Sindh chief minister comes to meet me, I will not meet him.”
During the proceedings, Nasir alleged that the previous investigation team had committed “criminal negligence” and said the chief minister had been asked to examine the matter.
According to Nasir, Ali’s body was found on July 29, and the family reached the scene at around 1.30pm.
He said no police officer arrived between 11.30am and 1.30pm, while two policemen arrived at around 12.15pm but their names were not provided.
He said the body was taken by ambulance to Jinnah Hospital for post-mortem examination. In response to the commission’s question about who conducted the post-mortem, Nasir said medico-legal officer (MLO) Dr Osama Sheikh had performed it.
Nasir also said Ali’s missing-person case had been registered at around 3.15pm on July 28. He said a nursery worker had called police after seeing the body.
The commission subsequently summoned the two nursery employees who saw the body, the two police personnel who reached the scene, the ambulance drivers who transported the body and Dr Sheikh.
The commission also questioned whether CCTV footage of the area was available. Nasir said that footage from a mosque camera was shown, but the complete footage was not provided to the family.
Records sought from Sindh govt
Justice Sial directed the Sindh government to provide all documents by the following day so they could be examined.
He also sought lists of police officers and doctors, witness statements, medical reports and original documents.
The SHC judge directed that an advertisement seeking information from the public be published in Urdu, English and Sindhi newspapers.
He said that the Sindh government would be asked to offer a reward of Rs100,000 for information.
The family’s lawyer further told the commission that a case had been registered against 20 people who had expressed support for the family the previous night.
Nasir said that the first information report (FIR) against them alleged that they had stood on Shahrah-e-Faisal and chanted slogans calling for “justice for Raza”.
The commission also sought clarification on whether investigating officer Siraj Lashari could assist its proceedings.
Justice Sial said that the commission could question Lashari about the investigation if he could appear before it.
The further proceedings of the judicial commission were adjourned until September 1.
