In Karachi, commission summons business partner and employees of slain entrepreneur — Dawn
In Karachi, Pakistan, a judicial commission in the case of the murder of 25-year-old entrepreneur Mir Raza Ali has summoned his business partner, acquaintances and employees to provide testimony. As Dawn reports, the witnesses were ordered to appear before the commission on September 15.
Who was summoned to the commission
An e-summons was issued to Ahsan Anis Shamsi, who, according to information provided to the commission, held a 30 percent stake in the Wafflix food establishment associated with Ali’s business. The establishment’s manager, Sherry, and accountant Muhammad Umair Khan were also summoned.
The commission summoned Asad Ali Butt and Usman Buzai. An e-summons was sent to Hassan Tanoli, who lives in Australia; the names of all three were mentioned in connection with the deceased’s business. Under the commission’s order, Tanoli will be able to provide testimony via Zoom or other electronic means. A court bailiff was instructed, if necessary, to coordinate the delivery of summonses with the investigator, Deputy Superintendent of Police Siraj Lashari.
Course of the investigation
Mir Raza Ali’s body with a gunshot wound was found on July 29 in bushes in the Gulistan-i-Jauhar area, the day after he went missing. The deceased’s family accused police of attempts to conceal facts, while law enforcement initially considered suicide as a possible explanation.
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On August 6, a Karachi court authorized the exhumation of the body, ordered the creation of a medical-legal board and a repeat autopsy. Following disputes over the board’s composition, the Sindh provincial government restored its original composition, and the body was exhumed on August 8. The next day, police updated the investigation team, transferred the investigation to Zaman Town police station and added a murder charge to the initial crime report.
The final repeat autopsy report found that death was caused by a rupture of the heart resulting from a through-and-through gunshot wound to the chest. The entry wound was on the back and the exit wound was on the front of the chest. The conclusion stated that these findings were incompatible with the suicide theory.
On September 2, the Sindh High Court dismissed Ali’s family’s petition to establish an independent inter-agency joint investigation team, stating that the formation of such a body is the government’s prerogative.
