Forensic expert in Karachi says she received threats in Mir Raza Ali case
In Karachi, Pakistan, police forensic expert Sumaiya Saeed said she had received threats after questioning the findings of the first autopsy in the case of the death of 25-year-old businessman Mir Raza Ali. She said this during a hearing of a judicial commission examining the circumstances of the case and possible negligence, Dawn reports.
According to Saeed, after she took her position in the case, a motorcycle followed her for two days, and she also received threats. The expert said she had risked her career because of the case. She also reported that a public campaign had been conducted against her and that information about her family members had been circulated online. Saeed said she had filed a complaint with the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency.
Discrepancies in the autopsy findings
Ali's body, with a gunshot wound, was found on July 29 in the Gulistan-e-Jauhar area of Karachi, the day after he went missing. In early August, Saeed pointed to inconsistencies between the first forensic report, prepared by doctor Osama Sheikh, and the available photographs.
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At the family's request, the body was exhumed and a second autopsy was conducted. A medical board that included Saeed found that Ali had sustained numerous injuries before his death and ruled out suicide. According to the expert, 263 photographs were taken during the second autopsy.
Testimony before the commission
Saeed said that when she approached a police officer to point out shortcomings in the first report, she was told that police would be lenient during the “questioning” if she did not challenge the findings indicating possible suicide. At the same time, she said she was not summoned for questioning.
During the hearing, the expert also reported a trace of an injury on Ali's head, a mark from a blow by a hard object on the back of his head, and a fracture of the nasal bone. She noted that these injuries had been inflicted before death. Sindh High Court Judge Omar Sial, who heads the one-member commission, proposed involving Rangers to protect Saeed, but she declined.
