Sindh govt to ask SHC CJ to form judicial commission to review Mir Raza Ali murder probe

The Sindh government said on Sunday it would be asking the chief justice of the provincial high court to establish a judicial commission to determine whether the investigation in the Mir Raza Ali murder case was being conducted impartially and in accordance with the law.

The decision comes days after Ali’s parents https://www.dawn.com/news/2023972">approached Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, requesting that he directly supervise the investigation.

His parents, Mir Hussain and Mariam, wrote a letter to the Sindh CM through their lawyer Jibran Nasir, alleging that the investigation continued to suffer as the probe team “appears to focus on perpetuating the false narrative of the death of the deceased by suicide”.

A statement issued by the Sindh CM’s office on Sunday said their letter had been received with “compassion and the utmost seriousness”.

“After carefully considering the concerns expressed by the family, the government of Sindh has decided to request the honourable chief justice of the Sindh High Court to establish a judicial commission to conduct an impartial and transparent inquiry,” the statement said.

It added that the commission should determine whether the investigation in the case was being conducted impartially and in accordance with law.

It should also identify any investigative angle or evidence requiring further investigation.

Moreover, the commission should determine whether “any police officer, medico-legal officer or other official committed negligence, dereliction of duty, professional misconduct, suppression or manipulation of evidence, or any unlawful act, omission or cover-up”.

The commission may recommend further investigation, forensic analysis and appropriate legal or departmental action wherever warranted, the statement said.

“For the effective discharge of its mandate, the commission shall exercise all powers available to it under the Sindh Tribunals of Inquiry Ordinance, 1969, including the powers of a Civil Court to summon and enforce the attendance of witnesses, examine them on oath, and require the discovery and production of documents and other records.

“All government departments, agencies and officials have been directed to extend full cooperation to the commission and provide every record, document and form of assistance sought by it.

The Home Department shall provide the necessary secretariat support,” the statement read.

It added that the commission should submit its report, together with its findings and recommendations, to the Sindh government within 30 days of its constitution, or within such extended period as may be allowed where necessary for a complete and fair inquiry.

“The commission will be fully empowered to examine the conduct of the investigation and recommend appropriate action in accordance with law,” it said.

The government also expressed solidarity with Ali’s family in this time of grief.

Ali, a 25-year-old businessman and a graduate of the Institute of Business Administration, was found dead with a gunshot wound on July 29 in bushes in Karachi’s Gulistan-i-Jauhar a day after he was reported missing.

More to follow