KARACHI: The Mir Raza judicial commission has accused the police of an “epic failure” in their handling of the case, ruling that businessman Mir Raza Ali was murdered and that suicide was medically impossible.
The 62-page report was submitted by Sindh High Court Justice Omar Sial, who headed the commission. Its proceedings began on August 28, and the panel recorded statements from 49 witnesses across 15 hearings.
“This case demonstrates an epic failure by the police in their investigation,” the report declared, adding that officers “breached all required procedures, both knowingly and unknowingly, necessary to withstand judicial scrutiny and a successful prosecution.”
Mir Raza judicial commission rules out suicide
The commission examined the medical and forensic evidence in detail and concluded that suicide could be “clearly excluded” as the cause of death.
It cited the bullet trajectory, the unusual location of the wound for a self-inflicted injury, the absence of blood, the state of the body, the principles of medical jurisprudence, acid burns found on the body, and the anaesthesia detected in his blood.
While the report acknowledged that the first police response on learning of the body was prompt, it said everything after that “left a lot to be desired”. It called the premature release of police findings “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,” the report stated.
‘Rudderless ship’: report on police conduct
The commission’s criticism of senior officers was unsparing. It found a “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,” the report observed. It described the investigation as “ranging from negligent to criminally negligent, inexplicable, casual, and unprofessional”.
The report said the police investigation “failed in its most basic duty: to establish the truth”.
It also noted that “incessant public criticism of the police created problems”, as officers “went into a shell, completely broke down communication channels, and took a position based on ego rather than on cogent, solid reasons”.
“Too many cooks spoil the broth. The proverb is applicable to this case as far as the police are concerned,” the commission added.
Cover-up not ruled out
In one of its gravest findings, the commission said an active cover-up in the early stages of the investigation “cannot be conclusively ruled out”.
It noted that senior police officers “swept clear investigative lapses under the carpet, without acknowledging them, addressing them, or even attempting to do so”.
The Sindh cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, decided on Tuesday to make the report public. Seven sealed envelopes containing the report are to be uploaded to the Home Department’s website, with a copy handed to the victim’s family. The cabinet also formed a four-member committee to oversee implementation of the commission’s recommendations.
The decision followed a briefing on the report earlier in the day. The family of Mir Raza Ali had demanded a judicial inquiry and the public release of its findings, and had earlier sought the exhumation of the body and a second post-mortem. Those demands were covered in our earlier report on the family’s call for a judicial probe and the progress of the commission’s investigation.
The cabinet’s decision to release the report came hours before the full text of its findings became available.
What did the judicial commission conclude?
The commission ruled that Mir Raza Ali was murdered and that suicide was medically excluded, citing the bullet trajectory, wound location, absence of blood, acid burns, and anaesthesia found in his blood.
What did it say about the police?
It found an “epic failure” in the investigation, citing negligence by senior officers, premature release of findings, and a possible early cover-up that “cannot be conclusively ruled out”.
What happens next?
The Sindh cabinet has made the 62-page report public and formed a four-member committee to implement its recommendations. A copy has been given to the victim’s family.
