Sindh to Publish Mir Raza Inquiry Report and Enforce Findings

The Sindh cabinet decided on Tuesday to release the judicial commission’s report examining the circumstances surrounding businessman Mir Raza Ali’s death and possible negligence during the investigation. The decision was taken at a provincial cabinet meeting in Karachi chaired by Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah.

The inquiry report was delivered to the provincial government in seven sealed envelopes and will be uploaded to the Sindh Home Department’s website. The government also plans to provide a copy to Mir Raza’s family, giving them direct access to the commission’s findings and recommendations.

Chief Minister Shah formed a four-member cabinet subcommittee to oversee implementation of the report. The panel includes 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 announced that the report would enter the public domain and said the provincial administration remained committed to transparency, accountability and due process. The cabinet’s action moves the case from a confidential judicial inquiry towards public scrutiny and possible departmental or legal follow-up.

The commission was headed by Sindh High Court Justice Omar Sial and submitted its sealed findings last week. During its proceedings, it examined 49 witnesses across 15 hearings and reviewed the available record connected with the death and the police investigation.

The provincial government established the commission in August and instructed it to recommend whether further investigation, forensic examination or legal and departmental proceedings were required. Its initial 30-day mandate was later extended until October 15 after the commission sought additional time to complete its work.

The inquiry also sent questionnaires to Karachi police chief Azad Khan, investigation team head DIG Amir Farooqui and DIG East Farrukh Lanjar. The commission adopted this course after rejecting a request from the family to summon the senior police officials for testimony.

Mir Raza, a 25-year-old businessman and Institute of Business Administration graduate, disappeared on July 28 after leaving his PECHS home. His body was discovered the following day in bushes in Karachi’s Gulistan-i-Jauhar area with a gunshot wound.

Police initially examined the case as a possible suicide, relying on the first autopsy and information concerning business losses and borrowed money. Police surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed disputed the initial post-mortem findings, while a subsequent examination concluded that the evidence was inconsistent with suicide and identified a fatal gunshot wound to the back.

Publication of the report will allow the family and public to assess how the commission evaluated the conflicting medical evidence, police conduct and potential investigative failures. The cabinet subcommittee’s next responsibility will be to review the recommendations and ensure that any proposed forensic, legal or departmental measures are carried out.