A judicial commission investigating the death of Mir Raza Ali has described the police investigation as an “epic failure”, finding serious lapses ranging from negligence and poor supervision to a failure to preserve evidence and pursue the case professionally.
The single-member commission, headed by Sindh High Court judge Justice Omar Sial, said police breached required procedures necessary to withstand judicial scrutiny and support a successful prosecution, according to the executive summary, submitted to Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah on October 15.
The commission was constituted by the Sindh government to examine the circumstances surrounding the death of 25-year-old Mir Raza, assess the impartiality of police and medico-legal investigations and identify any professional negligence, misconduct, manipulation of evidence or cover-up.
Mir Raza, an IBA graduate who ran a waffle-making business, left his PECHS home in the early hours of July 28. His family reported him missing the same day, while his body was recovered the following morning within the jurisdiction of Gulistan-e-Johar police station.
‘Rudderless ship’
In its assessment of police conduct, the commission found a lack of leadership, seriousness and supervision, as well as negligence by senior officers in some instances.
“The handling of this case has been like a rudderless ship, not aware of its destination,” the report observed.
It described the investigation as ranging from “negligent to criminally negligent”, as well as inexplicable, casual and unprofessional.
Significantly, the commission said an active cover-up during the initial stages of the investigation could not be conclusively ruled out, while senior police officers had swept clear investigative lapses “under the carpet” instead of acknowledging or addressing them.
The report also accused senior officers of “tunnel vision”, saying they became so focused on a single objective that they failed to see the bigger picture.
It said police, driven by ego and a desire to avoid publicly admitting an error, doubled down on their initial suicide theory rather than investigating further.
According to the commission, dozens of authorised and unauthorised police officers became involved in collecting evidence and approaching and interrogating crucial individuals, often without documenting their actions.
The result, it said, was that no officer was willing to take responsibility for the lapses, with responsibility instead shifted to subordinates or the shortcomings denied altogether.
The commission further criticised police communication, saying neither the family nor the public was kept informed through official disclosures. Police also failed to follow its recommendation to appoint a focal person, contributing to further public speculation.
Suicide theory
The report noted that police initially raised suicide as the cause of Mir Raza’s death, but his family questioned the conclusion after observing what they said were visible torture marks.
Following concerns raised by the police surgeon over anomalies in the first post-mortem report, the body was exhumed on August 8. The final official report later confirmed the cause of death as a perforating firearm injury from the back, ruling out suicide. Murder and destruction-of-evidence provisions were subsequently added to the FIR.
The commission said the police hypothesis had relied on unconfirmed and unsubstantiated text messages, selective video footage and the first post-mortem report, which itself had not concluded that Mir Raza died by suicide.
It said the bullet trajectory, wound characteristics, absence of blood, condition of the body, acid burns and anaesthesia detected in the blood excluded suicide.
“The police investigation failed in its most basic duty: to establish the truth,” the commission concluded, adding that the post-mortem findings left no doubt that Mir Raza was murdered.
JIT recommended
Turning to the way forward, the commission said the case had reached a “critical juncture”, with public trust in the police severely damaged.
It found that a significant portion of physical evidence had been compromised, meaning the case could now only be resolved through a rigorous, intelligence-based investigation.
The commission recommended that police transparently acknowledge and apologise for past operational lapses and immediately initiate formal inquiries against officers responsible for them.
It also recommended accepting the family’s request for a Joint Investigation Team, describing a JIT as the “most viable path” in the extraordinary circumstances.
The proposed JIT should be headed by DIG Irfan Baloch and include senior representatives of the Inter-Services Intelligence, Intelligence Bureau, Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) and National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency to ensure an impartial and comprehensive investigation.
Separately, the commission recommended a high-level committee, preferably led by the Federal Investigation Agency, to determine whether police officials involved in the first 10 days of the probe violated Sections 201, 166(2) and 218 of the Pakistan Penal Code.
The committee should initiate criminal action, alongside disciplinary proceedings, against any officials found culpable, it recommended.
The commission stressed, however, that it did not itself possess investigative powers and therefore could not conclusively determine that an active cover-up had occurred, although it said certain “inexplicable actions” raised the possibility of one at some stage.
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The Sindh cabinet approved extending the tenure of the judicial commission investigating the death of young entrepreneur Mir Raza Ali until October 15.
Raza, an IBA graduate and businessman, was found dead in Karachi’s Gulistan-e-Jauhar a day after he went missing on July 28.
His father has consistently maintained that his son was murdered and has rejected suggestions that the death was a case of suicide.
The decision to extend the judicial probe was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, a CM’s spokesperson said.
The commission has already conducted extensive proceedings and recorded statements from dozens of witnesses, the cabinet was informed. It has been given additional time to complete the investigation and finalise its recommendations.
The judicial commission, headed by Justice Omar Sial, had sought an extension after its tenure expired on September 27.
On September 28, Sindh Additional Home Secretary Javed Ahmed Abro informed the commission that a summary seeking an extension until October 15 had been sent to the provincial cabinet, The News reported.
The commission is investigating the circumstances surrounding Raza’s death in Karachi’s Gulistan-e-Jauhar area and examining whether the investigation was conducted impartially and in accordance with the law.
It is also tasked with determining whether any police, medico-legal, or other officials were negligent, committed professional misconduct, suppressed or manipulated evidence, or were involved in any unlawful act or cover-up.
The commission will submit recommendations for any further investigation, forensic analysis or departmental or legal action required in the case.
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Mir Raza’s parents face pressure after Dr Summaiya’s statement, commission told
Counsel for Mir Raza Ali’s parents, Jibran Nasir, told the judicial commission that pressure was being exerted on the family following Dr Summaiya Syed’s statement to prevent any further legal proceedings.
During the hearing, Nasir stated that Mir Raza’s father received a phone call the previous night. According to the counsel, the caller said Station House Officer (SHO) Adil Afzal was “their child” and that an FIR had already been obtained from Afzal.
He added that the caller claimed to have spoken to DIG Amir Farooqi before asking Mir Raza’s father whether he suspected Asif, Abid, Ahmed or Abdullah. When the father said he did not suspect any of them, the caller allegedly reacted angrily.
Mir Raza, an IBA graduate and businessman, was found dead in Karachi’s Gulistan-e-Jauhar a day after he went missing on July 28. His father has consistently maintained that his son was murdered and has rejected suggestions that the death was a case of suicide.
The commission later recorded the testimony of Mir Raza’s business partner, Asad Ali Butt, who said he worked in the advertising sector and had never invested in stocks or cryptocurrency. He told the commission that he first learnt about Mir Raza through social media and met him again in 2022 after a long gap.
Butt said Mir Raza began aggressively promoting his business towards the end of 2025 and approached people for investments. He added that he insisted on completing proper documentation before entering into a partnership.
According to Butt, he signed an agreement with Mir Raza in December and invested Rs2.5 million. Under the agreement, he was to receive Rs4 million by December 2026. He said Mir Raza issued him a cheque for Rs4 million, made payments every two months and that he had recovered Rs1.4 million from his total investment.
Butt testified that he last met Mir Raza on July 21, when the young businessman suggested selling his car if he urgently needed money and also mentioned plans to purchase a flat. Later that week, Butt said he required a large amount of money for work related to his car and sent Mir Raza a message on July 27, clarifying that he was not demanding repayment but needed payment for the vehicle. He received no reply.
The following morning, Butt said he noticed that Mir Raza had deleted his accounts. Calls made on July 28 went unanswered as the phone was switched off. After contacting Mir Raza’s shop, he learnt that he had gone missing.
He then contacted Ahmed using a number obtained from the shop’s social media account and shared details of the investment agreement at Ahmed’s request. He added that office colleagues informed him about Mir Raza on July 29 and that Ahmed had also signed the business agreement.
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The judicial commission probing the death of businessman Mir Raza Ali on Tuesday ordered the issuance of a notice to Sindh Home Minister Zia-ul-Hassan Lanjar.
Mir Raza, an IBA graduate and businessman, was found dead in Karachi’s Gulistan-e-Jauhar a day after he went missing on July 28. His father has consistently maintained that his son was murdered and has rejected suggestions that the death was a case of suicide.
The latest proceedings came a day after the commission questioned several police officers over the handling of the investigation and issued a notice to the investigation team head, DIG Amir Farooqi, over the alleged withholding of records.
Raza’s father and sister appeared before the commission, while Police Surgeon Dr Summaya Syed also attended the proceedings and answered a series of questions put by the inquiry body today.
During the hearing, lawyer Jibran Nasir told the commission that samples collected from Raza’s body was sent to the laboratory after a delay.
The commission then asked whether such samples had a shelf life and if the delay could affect the results.
Dr Syed said delays generally did not make a difference, but added that it could not be determined whether any chemical trace had been lost because of the late testing.
She told the commission that delays were not usually seen in high-profile cases.
The proceedings took a tense turn when the Sindh advocate general objected, arguing that questions should be asked by the commission rather than by Nasir, the lawyer representing Raza’s family.
The commission responded by asking why the Sindh government objected to questions being asked on behalf of the family and remarked: “Are you hiding something?”
It further observed that a notice should be issued to the home minister and said Lanjar should be summoned in view of the advocate general’s conduct during the proceedings.
Following the intervention, the commission suspended the hearing and directed that a notice be issued to the home minister.
