KARACHI: A judicial commission formed to investigate the circumstances and possible negligence in businessman Mir Raza Ali’s murder case has pointed out the police’s “epic failure” in their investigation.
The Sindh cabinet decided to make the report public during a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah earlier in the day. The judicial commission, which began its proceedings on Aug 28, held regular hearings to record statements of several individuals linked to the case.
“This case demonstrates an epic failure by the police in their investigation,” declared the 62-page report submitted by Sindh High Court’s (SHC) Justice Omar Sial, who had been heading the judicial panel.
“The police breached all required procedures, both knowingly and unknowingly, necessary to withstand judicial scrutiny and a successful prosecution,” the report stated.
While acknowledging that the initial police response when they were informed of the presence of a body was prompt, the report noted that subsequent events “left a lot to be desired”.
“It was a murder,” the report declared.
It explained that the bullet trajectory, the unusual location of the wound if it had been a self-inflicted injury, the “absence of blood, the state of the body, the principles of medical jurisprudence, acid burns and the anaesthesia detected in the blood all clearly excluded suicide as the cause of death”.
The commission determined that releasing the police findings before a proper investigation was “premature and fell short of professional standards”.
“Even if the death had been a suicide, the police should have established who was responsible for driving a young man to that point, including whether coercion, blackmail, or instigation was involved. They made no such effort.”
It said the police investigation “failed in its most basic duty: to establish the truth”.
It further observed that “incessant public criticism of the police created problems” as the police “went into a shell, completely broke down communication channels, and took a position based on ego rather than on cogent, solid reasons”.
The report pointed out specific issues with the police conduct: “Lack of leadership, seriousness, and supervision, and, in some cases, negligence by the senior officers. The handling of this case has been like a rudderless ship, not aware of its destination.
“Ranging from negligent to criminally negligent, inexplicable, casual, and unprofessional investigation.”
According to the commission, an active cover-up in the initial stages of the investigation cannot be conclusively ruled out.
Referring to an Aug 9 meeting held at CM House, which “drew considerable speculation and controversy”, the report said that “no ulterior motive can be inferred from this meeting”. The meeting was attended by Medico-Legal Officer (MLO) Dr Osama Sheikh, who conducted Ali’s first autopsy, the Karachi police chief and other senior officials.
Panel formed to ensure implementation
The judicial panel’s primary mandate was to determine the facts and circumstances of the case; assess whether police and medico-legal investigations were impartial; identify professional negligence, misconduct, evidence manipulation, or cover-ups; review digital/forensic evidence; and recommend further investigation, forensic analysis, or legal/departmental action.
According to a handout issued by the Sindh chief minister’s spokesperson, the judicial inquiry report was presented in seven separate sealed envelopes.
It will be uploaded on the website of the provincial home department on Tuesday, while a copy will also be provided to the aggrieved family.
Further, CM Shah also constituted a four-member sub-committee to ensure the implementation of the report.
The committee comprises Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar, Local Government Minister Nasir Hussain Shah, Labour Minister Saeed Ghani and the Sindh advocate general.
Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon also took to X to announce that the report would be made public on Tuesday.
“The government of Sindh remains committed to transparency, accountability and ensuring that due process of law is upheld,” he said.
Last week, the commission handed over the sealed report to the provincial government after examining 49 witnesses during 15 hearings.
The inquiry report, along with associated documents, was handed over to the focal person of the provincial government and Home Department Additional Secretary Javed Ahmed Abro by the commission registrar, Abdul Majid, on the premises of the SHC.
After receiving the record, Abro told reporters that he would hand over the sealed report along with other records to the provincial government and it was the prerogative of the government to decide whether the inquiry report was to be brought into the public domain or otherwise.
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 in its tenure till Oct 15. Therefore, the provincial cabinet granted an extension.
Besides examining 49 witnesses and available record, the commission had also sent questionnaires to Karachi police chief Azad Khan, head of current investigation team DIG Amir Farooqui and DIG East Farrukh Lanjar after dismissing an application by the aggrieved family to summon the senior police officers to testify before the commission.
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.
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, however, termed its findings “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.
More to follow