The family of Mir Raza Ali has asked the Sindh government to make public the findings of the judicial commission probing his death and to form an independent JIT (joint investigation team) to examine allegations of evidence tampering in the case.
In a letter to Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, the family’s counsel, Advocate Jibran Nasir, said serious questions had arisen over the handling of the investigation. He argued that leaving the probe with the same institutions whose conduct was under scrutiny would raise doubts about its independence.
The letter demands that the complete and unaltered report of the judicial commission, including its findings and recommendations, be handed over to the family as soon as it is submitted to the provincial government.
What the family alleges
Nasir’s letter lists a series of concerns about the investigation. These include the alleged loss of CCTV footage and delays in obtaining it, a fire at the crime scene, and the failure to carry out timely forensic examinations of electronic devices.
The letter also refers to alleged threats to witnesses and questions the handling of findings by the eight-member special medical board that was constituted for Mir Raza’s exhumation and medico-legal examination.
The counsel has called for an impartial investigation into each of these matters, covering allegations of evidence tampering, concealment of evidence and obstruction of the investigation.
Proposed independent JIT composition
The family has proposed that the joint investigation team include representatives of the Pakistan Rangers, the Federal Investigation Agency, the Intelligence Bureau, Inter-Services Intelligence, Military Intelligence and the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee.
It has further suggested that any Sindh police officers on the team should be those who have not previously been involved in the case.
The demand reflects the family’s long-standing position that the probe cannot be left to the same officials whose work is itself under question. The Sindh government has previously opposed the formation of a JIT at this stage, and the Sindh High Court has reserved its decision on the family’s petition seeking one.
Case background
Mir Raza Ali, the owner of Wafflix and an IBA graduate, went missing on July 28. His body was found the next day in Karachi’s Gulistan-i-Jauhar with a gunshot wound. Police first treated the death as a possible suicide, but a second post-mortem after exhumation pointed to murder, and a murder charge was added to the case.
A judicial commission headed by a Sindh High Court judge was formed to examine possible negligence and investigative failures. As Feature Pakistan reported, the commission concluded its proceedings on October 7, though the mystery around the killing remained unresolved. The commission had earlier questioned senior police officers over missing records, and its tenure was extended until October 15.
The family’s petition for a JIT has been before the Sindh High Court since August. The court’s written order framed the legal question of whether the judiciary can supervise an ongoing police investigation before ruling on the request.
What happens next
The ball is now with the provincial government. The family wants the commission’s report released in full once it lands with the government, and a fresh investigation team constituted without delay.
Whether the government agrees to an independent JIT, or whether the high court orders one, will shape the next phase of a case that has now stretched beyond two months. For background on how the case reached this point, see our earlier report on the murder charge being added after the second post-mortem.
FAQs
Who is demanding the JIT in the Mir Raza case?
The family of Mir Raza Ali, through their counsel Advocate Jibran Nasir, who has written to Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah.
What does the family want?
Two things: the complete, unaltered judicial commission report handed to the family, and an independent JIT to probe alleged evidence tampering, concealment and obstruction.
Who would sit on the proposed JIT?
Representatives of the Rangers, FIA, IB, ISI, MI and CPLC, plus Sindh police officers not previously involved in the case.
What allegations does the letter raise?
Loss of CCTV footage, a fire at the crime scene, delayed forensic examination of electronic devices, alleged threats to witnesses, and questions over the special medical board’s findings.
Where does the court petition stand?
The Sindh High Court has reserved its decision on the family’s JIT petition, after framing legal questions about judicial supervision of police investigations.
