Sindh government forms JIT to probe Mir Raza Ali’s murder, orders scrutiny of police officials

The Sindh government has formed a joint investigation team (JIT) to probe the killing of Karachi businessman Mir Raza Ali, following a judicial commission’s recommendations, Home Department letters dated October 23 show.

A separate committee will examine police officials named in the report.

Who is on the JIT investigating Mir Raza Ali’s killing?

DIG Irfan Ali Balouch, head of Karachi’s West Zone, will lead the JIT. It will include senior representatives from the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Intelligence Bureau (IB), Pakistan Rangers Sindh and the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA). Each agency must nominate an officer of at least Grade 18, preferably within seven days.

Nominees’ names, designations and contact details must be communicated so the team can begin work. The NCCIA has also been asked to nominate an officer with digital forensics expertise. The investigation may examine mobile phones, an Apple Watch, iCloud data, social media and cryptocurrency records, including Binance.

Ali, a 25-year-old businessman, disappeared on July 28 after leaving his residence in Karachi’s PECHS area. His body was found the following day in bushes in Gulistan-i-Jauhar, with a gunshot wound. The case was registered at Ferozabad police station under Sections 365, 302 and 201 of the Pakistan Penal Code, relating to kidnapping or abduction, murder and causing the disappearance of evidence, respectively.

What did the judicial commission recommend in the Mir Raza Ali case?

The JIT follows recommendations by a judicial commission headed by Sindh High Court Justice Omar Sial. The commission examined the circumstances surrounding Ali’s death and the handling of the initial police investigation. The provincial government said it has submitted its report, which has since been made public.

A separate letter to the federal Ministry of Interior seeks the nomination of a senior Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) officer, not below Grade 20 and with investigative expertise, to head another committee examining the case. The request follows the commission’s observation that it lacked investigative powers and could not conclusively determine whether an active cover-up had occurred.

The commission recommended a high-level inquiry into whether police officials involved in the initial days of the investigation had breached Sections 201, 166(2) and 218 of the Pakistan Penal Code. The proposed FIA-led committee will also include DIG Irfan Ali Balouch and DIG Naeem Ahmed Shaikh of Karachi’s Special Branch.

How will police officials named in the commission’s report be examined?

The Sindh Home Department has constituted a one-member committee headed by Additional Inspector General Zulfiqar Ali Larik of the Counter-Terrorism Department. It will examine every police officer and official named in the commission’s report, with Balouch assisting, according to a notification dated October 23.

The committee must assess the leadership qualities, efficiency and overall policing performance of the named officials in light of the commission’s specific observations. It must also investigate Inspector Ghaus’s role in the burning of the crime scene. Findings and recommendations on each official will go to the IGP Sindh.

The Home Department has also written to the provincial health secretary about the commission’s observations on medical personnel. The cabinet subcommittee has proposed removing Dr Usama Sheikh from his position and requiring him to undergo two years of further training.

The measures form separate strands of the provincial government’s response: a multi-agency investigation into Ali’s death, an FIA-led inquiry into possible misconduct during the initial police investigation, and a review of the conduct and performance of officials named in the report.