In Pakistan, Sindh minister assures authorities will not interfere with commission
In Karachi, Pakistan, Sindh Provincial Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar told the judicial commission in the murder case of Mir Raza Ali that the provincial government does not intend to impede its work. As Dawn reports, the official also offered an unconditional apology for the misunderstanding during the previous hearing.
The commission is chaired by Sindh High Court Justice Omar Sial. He summoned Lanjar after provincial Advocate General Jawad Dero objected during Tuesday's hearing to questions put by the deceased's family lawyer to police doctor Summaiya Sayed.
Lanjar explained that the government had not given the commission instructions regarding the conduct of the hearings and had not intended to prevent answers to the family's questions. According to Justice Sial, the minister assured the commission and the public of the Sindh government's uninterrupted and full cooperation. The family's lawyer, Jibran Nasir, asked for the family's appreciation of this clarification to be placed on the case record, after which the judge said the dispute had been resolved.
The family's lack of trust in the investigation
Sial stressed that the commission must establish possible negligence in the case and take into account the Ali family's suspicions. According to him, the deceased's parents have very little trust in the investigation, and the commission's task is to restore that trust and clarify the circumstances of the death. The family was allowed to ask questions through its lawyer.
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The commission summoned Sayed, Ferozabad police station chief Adil Afzal, and Zeeshan from the Gulistan-i-Jauhar station for the next hearing on September 14. Zeeshan was among the police officers who visited the scene after Ali's body was found. Separately, forensic expert Osama Sheikh, who conducted the first post-mortem examination, was ordered to appear on September 15 because the commission found his response to a request for an explanation unsatisfactory and evasive.
Case circumstances
The body of 25-year-old Mir Raza Ali was found on July 29 in the Gulistan-i-Jauhar area, the day after he went missing. The case was initially registered on kidnapping charges, but after a second post-mortem examination in August, the investigation was transferred to the Zaman Town police station and murder charges were added.
The final conclusion of the second post-mortem examination found that Ali died from a gunshot wound to the back that caused a rupture of the heart. The report also stated that the findings do not correspond to a suicide version. Commission registrar Abdul Majid said he was receiving information from citizens containing possible details about the deceased's digital traces and his Binance and iCloud accounts; the identities of the informants were promised confidentiality.
