Mir Raza Case: Police Surgeon, Officers Summoned by Judicial Commission

KARACHI: A judicial commission investigating the death of 25-year-old businessman Mir Raza Ali has summoned Karachi Police Surgeon Dr Summaiyya Syed and three other officials to appear at its next hearing on September 8 as it examines the handling of medical, police and documentary evidence in the case. The inquiry is being led by Sindh High Court Justice Omar Sial amid continuing scrutiny over the circumstances surrounding Ali's death.

Along with the police surgeon, the commission has called another member of the medical board involved in the exhumation process, Ferozabad SHO Adeel Afzal and Gulistan-i-Jauhar police station Head Moharir Zeeshan. Their appearances are expected to help the commission clarify how evidence was collected, preserved and transferred during different stages of the investigation.

The commission also examined concerns over witness statements that had not initially been provided despite earlier directions. Following a notice to DIG Crime and Investigation Amir Farooqui, statements recorded on August 1 from two of Ali's friends, Abdul Razique and Muhammad Hasem, were submitted. A senior Home Department official subsequently assured the commission that no additional relevant documents had been withheld, after which the notice issued to the DIG was withdrawn.

The Home Department official was also directed to determine whether any forensic, ballistic or chemical examination reports connected with the investigation remained outstanding. If additional material is found, the commission instructed that it be submitted in a sealed envelope. The direction reflects the inquiry's focus on establishing whether investigators and medical authorities supplied a complete evidentiary record before conclusions were drawn about how Ali died.

Ali disappeared on July 28 and his body was found the following day in Karachi's Gulistan-i-Jauhar area with a gunshot wound. The case initially generated controversy after police explored the possibility that the death could have been a suicide. His family disputed that interpretation and raised concerns about the investigation, seeking a fuller examination of the circumstances surrounding his disappearance and death.

Questions over the first autopsy later became a central part of the case. Dr Syed identified shortcomings in the initial post-mortem examination, leading to a court-approved exhumation. Ali's body was exhumed on August 8 and examined by a medical board. The subsequent post-mortem concluded that the fatal bullet entered through the back of the chest and exited from the front, causing a severe cardiac injury. The medical findings were described as inconsistent with suicide.

The police investigation was later transferred from Ferozabad police to Zaman Town police, and a murder charge was added to the case. Ali's family continued to press for an independent investigation and sought the formation of a multi-agency joint investigation team. The Sindh High Court dismissed that request on September 2, holding that the constitution of a JIT falls within the government's authority. The judicial commission established by the provincial government therefore remains the principal fact-finding process examining the case.

Attention will now turn to the September 8 proceedings, when the summoned medical and police officials are expected to address questions concerning the post-mortem examinations, witness records and other investigative material. Any additional forensic documentation identified by the Home Department could also become significant. The commission's eventual findings may influence further criminal investigation, departmental scrutiny or other legal proceedings as authorities seek to establish an evidence-based account of Ali's death.