Mir Raza’s Family Moves Sindh High Court Against Judicial Commission, Seeks JIT Probe

• Mir Raza Ali’s family has challenged the Sindh government’s judicial commission in the Sindh High Court.
• The SHC questioned the legal basis for a judicial commission to investigate a murder case and sought its terms of reference.
• Notices have been issued to 19 respondents, with replies sought by August 31.
• The court has restrained the investigation team from proceeding further until the matter is heard.

The family of young businessman Mir Raza Ali has approached the Sindh High Court (SHC), challenging the judicial commission constituted by the Sindh government to investigate his death and seeking the formation of a joint investigation team (JIT) instead.

During the hearing, a two-member bench comprising Justice Adnan-ul-Karim Memon and Justice Jafar Raza raised questions over the legal scope of the judicial commission. The bench asked how such a commission could investigate a murder case and under which law it had been empowered to conduct the inquiry.

The court also sought details of the commission’s terms of reference (ToRs) and issued notices to 19 respondents, including the Sindh inspector general of police, Home Department officials, members of the investigation team and doctors who conducted Mir Raza’s post-mortem examination.

The respondents have been directed to submit their replies by August 31. Meanwhile, the court restrained the investigation team from proceeding further with the investigation.

Representing the petitioner, lawyer Jibran Nasir told the bench that the police investigation had so far failed to reach a conclusion. He said the family first learnt through media reports that the Sindh government was moving to constitute a judicial commission.

Nasir argued that establishing a judicial commission at this stage could adversely affect the case. He maintained that a JIT should instead be formed to investigate the circumstances surrounding Mir Raza’s death.

He further argued that the findings of a judicial commission could not become part of the challan or charge sheet eventually submitted before a court, raising concerns over how the commission’s conclusions would contribute to the criminal investigation.

The Sindh government had requested the formation of a judicial commission to examine the case. Justice Omar Sial was nominated to head the commission, which was tasked with looking into the constitutional and legal aspects of the investigation and establishing the facts surrounding the case. The commission was reportedly given 30 days to submit its findings.

Speaking to the media, Nasir demanded that the Sindh government make the notification establishing the commission and its ToRs public. He said Mir Raza’s family had repeatedly sought both documents and questioned why they had not been provided.

According to Nasir, the family had also written to Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah over the issue. He raised concerns about the handling of evidence and questioned whether any evidence had been destroyed, while alleging that no action had been taken against officials who may have been responsible.

Mir Raza, an IBA graduate and businessman, was found dead in Karachi’s Gulistan-e-Jauhar area on July 29, one day after he went missing.

His father has consistently maintained that his son was murdered and has rejected suggestions that the death was a suicide.

According to the post-mortem report cited in the case, Mir Raza suffered a gunshot wound to the back, while other marks of violence and injuries were also found on his body.

Nasir also alleged that a suicide narrative had been built through the selective release of CCTV footage. He claimed the family had not been given the complete footage and questioned why authorities were now saying, 25 days later, that the cameras were faulty.

He also raised questions about vehicles visible in the available CCTV footage and asked why they had apparently not been investigated as part of the case.

Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab, meanwhile, has defended the formation of the judicial commission and urged Mir Raza’s parents to place their trust in the process and cooperate with the inquiry.

Wahab argued that justice would ultimately be delivered through the courts and questioned the objection to having a judge-led commission examine the case. He urged the family to assist the commission so the inquiry could reach a conclusion.