Mir Raza judicial commission orders notice to Sindh home minister

The judicial commission probing the death of Karachi businessman Mir Raza Ali on Tuesday ordered a notice to Sindh Home Minister Zia-ul-Hassan Lanjar. The move followed an exchange between the Sindh advocate general and the victim's family lawyer during proceedings.

Why did the commission issue a notice to Sindh's home minister?

The commission issued the notice after Sindh Advocate General Javed Dero repeatedly objected to the family's lawyer questioning a key witness. Justice Umar Sial described the objections as interference in the proceedings, prompting the commission to summon the home minister to explain the government's role.

What is the background of the Mir Raza case?

Mir Raza, an IBA graduate and businessman, was found dead in Karachi's Gulistan-e-Jauhar on July 28, a day after he went missing. His father has consistently maintained that his son was murdered and has rejected suggestions that he died by suicide.

Mir's father and sister Alishbah appeared before the commission on Tuesday, along with investigating officer DSP Siraj Lashari, Gulistan-e-Jauhar SHO Adeel Afzal and head clerk Zeeshan. Police Surgeon Dr. Summaiya Syed and Medical Board Chairman Prof. Naseem Ahmed also testified.

What did the police surgeon tell the commission?

Dr. Summaiya said she has served as Karachi's police surgeon since June 10, 2022, and has conducted 99 exhumations across Karachi and Thatta. She recalled performing 11 exhumations in a single day during a PIA terrorism attack case and said she completed her MBBS at Dow Medical College in 1996.

She explained that a medico-legal certificate is issued for every body and that police are notified when they are absent. The law requires photographs during every postmortem, she said, and injuries are checked from head to toe to determine whether they occurred before or after death.

"Every injury requires a photograph to prove it," Dr. Summaiya told the commission. She added that postmortems also examine possible sexual assault or fractures and estimate the time between death and examination, with a final report issued after chemical analysis.

What did Dr Summaiya say about her communication with Dr Osama?

The commission questioned Dr. Summaiya about her contact with Dr. Osama, who conducted Mir's postmortem and joined the department in 2023. She said she spoke to him at 5:46 p.m. on July 29, when he told her a two-day-old body had arrived from Gulistan-e-Jauhar, and she asked about the victim's identity, history and bullet wound.

She said Dr. Osama sent photographs of the postmortem register in pieces, and that on July 30 she asked him about the bullet's exit wound and instructed him to send the full report and photographs. The commission directed her to submit screenshots of those conversations.

Dr. Summaiya also rejected Dr. Osama's earlier statement that a sweeper had assisted during the postmortem, saying the person present was a trained laboratory assistant, Shoaib Rashid. She said Jinnah Hospital conducts 15 to 18 postmortems daily and that she personally supervises high-profile or suspicious cases.

What did Jibran Nasir say about the investigation?

Family lawyer Jibran Nasir told reporters the notice to the home minister followed the advocate general's repeated intervention during the police surgeon's testimony. He said the family, as an initial witness to events surrounding Mir's death, should be allowed to seek clarification through questioning.

Nasir said the family now learns about investigation developments through the media rather than directly, including a ballistic report that arrived on Aug. 10. He alleged that information about an empty bullet shell had been withheld for 27 days and criticized senior police officers for what he called inconsistent theories.

"These are DIG and SSP level officers carrying their brains in their knees," Nasir said, describing the investigation as "zero point zero." He said the Sindh government should admit if it cannot handle the case and form a joint investigation team.

What happens next in the Mir Raza case?

The commission adjourned further proceedings until Sept. 10. It also asked Mir's family to briefly leave the room while photographs were shown on a projector, though Alishbah said the family wanted to remain present.