Judicial commission summons Mir Raza Ali's business partners, friends

• Commission questions alleged lapses in initial autopsy.
• Device operator says fingerprints were not detected.
• Commission adjourns its proceedings until September 3.
  

The judicial commission probing Mir Raza Ali’s death on Tuesday summoned his business partners, friends, the cab driver who dropped him off and two police officers.

Justice Omar Sial of the Sindh High Court, who heads the one-man commission, issued notices to his business partners, Ahmed and Abdullah, his friends Haitham and Raziq, the cab driver Ahsanullah, SDPO Shara Faisal Arshad Afridi and SHO Firozabad Adeel Afzal for September 3.

Mir Raza Ali, an IBA graduate and young businessman, was found dead in Karachi's Gulistan-e-Jauhar area on July 29, a day after he went missing. His father consistently maintained that his son was murdered and rejected suggestions that the death was a case of suicide.

An autopsy found that the young businessman had been shot in the back. As per the medical report, marks of violence were also found on Mir Raza’s body. The report read that black marks were also found on his body, while injury marks were present on his feet. Blood stains were found on tissues in the lower part of his body. The report also found evidence of a deep injury and fracture in the jaw area.

The Sindh cabinet decided last week to form a judicial commission to investigate the death of the young businessman despite objections from the bereaved family.

At the outset of today’s hearing, Osama Sheikh, a medico-legal officer who had performed Ali’s first autopsy, denied ever discussing suicide and told the judicial commission that the final post-mortem report was issued on August 11 after Mir Raza’s exhumation.

He said that the final report was prepared after reviewing chemical reports obtained following the exhumation.

The commission noted that the final report differed from the earlier report, including in handwriting.

“What suddenly happened that the report changed?” it asked, questioning whether Dr Osama had prepared both reports and whether a forensic examination should be conducted.

Dr Osama said he had faced no pressure from anyone. He told the commission that all relevant matters had been shared with Police Surgeon Dr Summaiya, who had not raised any objection.

Responding to a question, he also said DIG East Farrukh Lanjhar had called him to the Chief Minister House, where SSP Samiullah Somroo was also present and asked him for a timeline.

'No fingerprints appeared on device'

Meanwhile, police official Muhammad Arif, who operates Talaash APP device, told the commission that he saw the body lying in an ambulance.

“I saw the body in the ambulance, but no fingerprints appeared on the device,” Arif said.

He said it appeared that an attempt had been made to erase the fingerprints.

“The colour of all the fingers on the right hand was changing, while the fingers on the left hand had completely decomposed,” Arif told the commission.

The commission asked Arif what he did after observing the condition of the body. He said he sent photographs to the SHO and the head constable.

The commission questioned why the head constable was handling the photographs and the investigation.

When asked what he had observed on the body, Arif said there were marks.

The commission noted that nursery staff, rescue workers, police officials and others had also seen the marks.

“If everyone could see the marks, but Dr Osama could not, then...” the commission remarked.

The commission further observed that it appeared the routine post-mortem had been carried out by a sweeper and the report was subsequently signed by the doctor.

The commission adjourned its proceedings until September 3.

MLO’s statement recorded at CM's office?

Speaking to the media after the commission hearing, Advocate Jibran Nasir, counsel of the bereaved family, said the proceedings were confirming what they had been saying since the beginning of the case.

“Everything we have been saying since day one is now coming to light,” Nasir said, adding that matters would become clearer when Police Surgeon Dr Summaiya appeared before the commission.

Nasir said he had written to the chief minister, informing him that the MLO had been stopped at his office.

“Tell me, has this ever happened in a suicide case — an MLO’s statement being recorded at the chief minister’s office?” he asked.

He also questioned why Additional Inspector General Azad Khan had summoned officials to the chief minister’s office on August 9.

Nasir said the head clerk had been handling matters even at the place where Mir Raza’s body was found.

“We have not even been given copies of the statements,” Nasir said, adding that no action had so far been taken against the police officials involved.