Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar said on Thursday that a joint investigation team (JIT) would be formed as per the recommendations of the judicial commission formed to investigate the circumstances surrounding the murder of Mir Raza Ali.
The 25-year-old businessman and Institute of Business Administration graduate had gone missing on July 28 after leaving his home in PECHS, and his body with gunshot wounds was found a day later in bushes in Gulistan-i-Jauhar’s locality.
A judicial commission, formed on the Sindh government’s directives after the family accused police of burying the facts, has declared that Ali’s death was a murder and pointed out lapses by the police during the probe.
Speaking to the media in Karachi on Thursday, Lanjar said: “The JIT will be formed under the West Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Irfan Baloch, and the summary has been sent to the chief minister.”
The decision to form a JIT under DIG Baloch was in accordance with the judicial commission’s report, which suggested his appointment.
Submitted to the government on Oct 15, the report by Sindh High Court judge Justice Omar Sial had recommended forming a JIT under the leadership of DIG Baloch to “balance the need for public accountability with preserving Sindh Police morale and reputation”.
The commission had termed the formation of a JIT the “most viable path” to mitigate ongoing reputational damage to the Sindh government.
Lanjar further said that in his recommendations to CM Murad Ali Shah, he has suggested the JIT’s terms of reference (TORs) include presenting a charge sheet after completing the investigation.
However, he added. “It is the prerogative of the court to accept it or not under the circumstances; either it is a murder or suicide.”
In its report, the judicial commission had also recommended integrating senior representatives from the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Intelligence Bureau (IB), Pakistan Rangers (Sindh), and the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) in the JIT to “ensure an impartial, comprehensive, and credible resolution”.
The notification of the JIT’s formation and composition is yet to be issued.
Furthermore, in line with another recommendation of the judicial commission, the home minister said a committee has been formed under the chairmanship of DIG Zulfiqar Ali Larik to take action against any police officers involved in negligence.
‘Epic failure’
The 62-page judicial commission report, authored by Justice Sial, had declared: “This case demonstrates an epic failure by the police in their investigation.”
The commission, which examined 49 witnesses and the available record, determined that police investigation “failed in its most basic duty: to establish the truth”.
Besides making several recommendations regarding the case and police training, it had also listed its observations for certain police officials involved in the investigation, finding “criminal negligence” by three.
Initially, the police built the case around suicide on the basis of the first autopsy, which indicated a bullet entry wound on the chest, and by pointing out business losses and money borrowed by the victim.
Police surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed had disputed the findings of the first post-mortem conducted by medico-legal officer Dr Osama Sheikh.
The second post-mortem report termed the findings of the first report “inconsistent” with suicide as the manner of Mir Raza’s death. It said the Exhumation Board was of the unanimous opinion that the death was caused by a gunshot wound to the back.
In August, the provincial government formed the commission, which was tasked with making recommendations for further investigation and forensic analysis or legal/departmental action, and it was required to submit its findings and recommendations to the Sindh government within 30 days.
However, the commission had struggled to meet its deadline and sent an application last month to the Sindh government for an extension of its tenure till Oct 15. Therefore, the provincial cabinet granted an extension.