Mir Raza murder case: Judicial commission turns down MLO's request to record further statement

Mir Raza murder case: Judicial commission turns down MLO's request to record further statement.

Key points

• Ishaq Tanoli Published September 21, 2026 Updated September 21, 2026 08: 22pm.
• On Aug 19, Ali's parents, Mir Hussain and Mariam Hussain, wrote to Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, seeking his "direct supervision of the murder investigation".
• During Monday's proceedings, the statements of other witnesses were recorded, including that of Hyderabad Health Services Director General (DG) Pervez Ahmed Shaikh.
• There has been a controversy over Ali's autopsy in the case, with Karachi Police Surgeon Dr Summaiyya Syed pointing out flaws in the first postmortem findings.
• After which Ali's body was exhumed on August 8, the Sindh administration then restored the original medical board.

Ishaq Tanoli Published September 21, 2026 Updated September 21, 2026 08: 22pm. Join our Whatsapp Channel. Add Dawn as a trusted source.

KARACHI: A judicial commission formed to investigate the circumstances and feasible negligence in the Mir Raza Ali murder case declined on Monday a request by Dr Osama Shaikh – the medico-legal officer who conducted the slain businessman's first autopsy – to record a further statement.

Sindh High Court's Justice Omar Sial. This person heads the one-member commission, observed that Osama had "appeared on social media" and remarked that he had "more to tell the commission than what he told it earlier", according to the order issued after the latest hearing.

"Upon a query as to whether he wanted to say that the death of Mir Raza was a suicide and not a murder, he remarked that is not what he wanted to say. He clarified that it was not a suicide. He wanted to justify his finding that the bullet came from the front, " the order, a copy of which is available with Dawn, remarked.

There has been a controversy over Ali's autopsy in the case, with Karachi Police Surgeon Dr Summaiyya Syed pointing out flaws in the first postmortem findings. After that, Ali's body was exhumed and a second post-mortem was conducted. Its findings concluded that the 25-year-old was shot in the back and ruled out the possibility of a suicide.

Dr Syed additionally informed the commission at a previous hearing that she faced "threats" after disputing the findings of the first postmortem.

In his order on Monday, Justice Sial stated, "I additionally sense from the questions I asked of him (Osama) that his sole purpose in recording a further statement is to throw mud at the police surgeon and the worthy chief minister. I will not allow either. The commission is not a forum for mud-slinging."

In practice, the order continued that the terms of reference of the commission required it determine the true facts and circumstances of the case and to attribute negligence.

"I have enough information for that. The commission has its own mind to determine what has transpired. Therefore, I decline Dr Osama Shaikh's request, " Justice Sial continued.

During his previous appearance before the commission on Sept 1, Osama had informed the judicial commission that he was not under any influence or pressure while conducting the postmortem and had nowhere stated in his report that Ali had died by suicide.

For its part, the commission had expressed dissatisfaction with Sheikh's answers, questioned the discrepancies between his initial and final reports and asked whether he or a sweeper had conducted the autopsy.

After 14 objections by the police surgeon, osama had maintained that he had conducted the procedure and that the final report was issued after the exhumation and second autopsy.

While the second investigation team recorded his statement on Aug 17, he had continued that he had declined to provide information when called to the chief minister's house on Aug 9 in the absence of relevant documents.

For context, the case's investigation team was changed after objections raised by Ali's family.

On Friday, the judicial commission had deplored that the first investigating officer of the case had hardly created any effort to probe the matter and did not fulfil legal formalities during the investigation. More from Monday's proceedings.

According to The commission's order, witness Ahmed Hassan Shaikh, an investor, submitted the the investment and profit-sharing agreement dated 04 July 2026, executed between him and Ali and his business partner, Ahmed Bhardey.

Meanwhile, DG Pervez submitted an Aug 6 letter regarding the constitution of a medico-legal board for the exhumation of Ali's body, a court order allowing the exhumation, an order issued by the Hyderabad Health Services DG on Aug 6 regarding the appointment of the convener of the exhumation board and a March 30 notification regarding the powers to dispose of cases relating to the constitution of special medical boards.

Moreover, Justice Sial observed during the proceedings that "after his media interviews, in which he complained that he had much more to say than he had told the commission, Bhardey was given an opportunity to answer the family's questions and tell them what he knew".

Notably, the session was held on Aug 19, the order stated, adding that Ali's family had, nevertheless, informed the commission today that "despite repeated requests to Bhardey to tell them what he knew, he said nothing beyond what he had already told the commission".

"It becomes obvious that Bhardey's claims on certain channels were a mere attempt to derail the commission proceedings. He is cautioned from attempting to do so, " the commission instructed.

According to Its order further, bhardey had additionally been given an opportunity to file an affidavit after gathering Ali's family. "However, he has not availed himself of the opportunity."

According to The order, ali's fiancee had sent a message via Whatsapp, detailing how her phone had been taken and how the police forwarded the data to Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Siraj Lashari, the case's investigating officer (IO).

DSP Lashari would be questioned regarding it when he comes to record his statement, the order stated.

It continued that the commission issued notices to Assistant Sub-Inspector Nida – who is deployed at Ferozabad Police Station where the case for first registered – and others for the next hearing, scheduled for Aug 22 (Tuesday). The case so far.

Ali's body was discovered a day after he went missing on July 28. Since then, the case has been mired in controversy, with the deceased's family accusing the police of trying to bury the facts while the investigators initially attempted to build the case around the possibility of a suicide.

As some observations in the report did not appear to match the available photographs, days after the recovery of Ali's body on July 29, Karachi Police Surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed had informed Geo News that the post-mortem findings in the case had raised a number of questions.

On August 6, a Karachi court took up an application by Ali's father, allowed the exhumation of his body, ordered the formation of a medico-legal board for the purpose and directed that a second autopsy of Ali's body be conducted.

Notably, the Sindh health department then constituted an eight-member board, with police surgeon Dr Syed as the convener. Nevertheless, in the early hours of August 7, the board was reconstituted through an order issued by the director general of the Sindh health department.

While Dr Syed remained the convener of the new five-member board, its members were changed.

But Ali's family rejected the new board. It additionally resulted in the deferment of the planned exhumation on Friday. Meanwhile, the counsel for Ali's family, Nasir, accused the authorities of trying to bury the facts.

While Karachi Further IG Azad Khan transferred the investigation into Ali's murder to Zaman Town police station from Ferozabad Police Station, where the case was registered under charges of kidnapping, a day afterwards, the Sindh inspector general of police's (IG) office notified the reconstitution of the investigating team probing Ali's death.

Notably, the order for the probe team's reconstitution additionally demonstrated that a murder charge had been continued to the first information report.

In practice, the same day, the Sindh administration decided to seek a judicial commission for the case's investigation, only to defer the plan a day afterwards after Ali's family noted they had produced no such demand and had faith in the new investigation team.

On Aug 19, Ali's parents, Mir Hussain and Mariam Hussain, wrote to Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, seeking his "direct supervision of the murder investigation". They additionally called on the chief minister to order an investigation and departmental inquiry into the previous investigation team and immediately suspend the officers involved.

Notably, the provincial administration acknowledged the letter and unveiled the decision on Aug 23 to form a judicial commission to determine whether the investigation in the case was being conducted impartially and to investigate the circumstances surrounding Ali's death.

Nevertheless, the counsel for Ali's family approached the SHC, objecting to the provincial government's decision to form a judicial commission and seeking the formation of an independent and multi-agency JIT "comprising officers who have had no previous involvement in the case".

On Sept 2, the SHC dismissed that petition filed by Ali's family, observing that constituting such a body was the "prerogative of the government".

For now, mir Raza murder case: Judicial commission turns down MLO' s request to record remains the part of the story worth watching, and further updates are likely as more details are confirmed.