Mir Raza Ali commission ends hearings with key questions open

The judicial commission investigating the death of Mir Raza Ali, owner of the Karachi dessert shop Wafflix, has concluded its proceedings after 15 sittings and 49 witnesses, but several key questions about the case remain unanswered.

In a written order issued on Wednesday, commission chairman Justice Omar Sial said the statements of the final witnesses, a Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) official and the investigating officer, had been recorded, The Express Tribune reported. The commission’s email and WhatsApp accounts have been deactivated, and a Rs100,000 reward announced earlier for information has been withdrawn.

Mir Raza’s body was found in Gulistan-e-Jauhar after he was allegedly abducted from PECHS.

Murder or suicide still unresolved

At the final hearing, investigating officer DSP Siraj Lashari told the commission that police were still trying to determine whether Mir Raza had taken his own life or been murdered. “Police could have easily picked up someone and beaten a confession out of them, but we want justice in this case,” he said.

Lashari said a super medical board had been proposed because two doctors’ reports, by Dr Usama and Dr Summaiya Syed, contradicted each other and the evidence. Justice Sial questioned why a single doctor’s view carried so much weight when an eight-member board had already carried out the post-mortem. “One Usama appears to outweigh everyone else,” he remarked.

Gaps in the evidence

The final hearing turned into a close examination of the police investigation. Points raised included:

• CCTV: the CPLC had 46 cameras in Gulistan-e-Jauhar Blocks 1 to 4, but the incident site fell outside their coverage, and Mir Raza appeared on only three cameras. Five hours of footage from Masjid Khizra were missing.
• Phone data: his internet stayed active until 4:25am, and Apple Maps was used between 4:10am and 4:20am. Police have asked the NCCIA and Apple for IP information. Call records and geofencing produced no concrete leads.
• Crime scene: Justice Sial said dozens of officers had entered the area. “The crime scene was made a mess,” he said, asking why no action had been taken against those responsible. He also questioned footage recorded on an officer’s mobile phone and a guesthouse DVR found in the officer’s vehicle.
• A named person: the judge pressed police over Ali Shaz, whose name surfaced in a voice note, including his departure abroad and two suspicious vehicles similar to ones he owned.

Thanks to family and media

In his concluding remarks, Justice Sial praised Mir Raza’s family members Maryam, Alishba and Mir Hussain for showing “exceptional patience, courage, dignity and civility”, and thanked their counsel, Barrister Jibran Nasir.

He thanked Sindh Chief Justice Zafar Ahmed Rajput for entrusting him with the commission, and Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and Home Minister Zia Ul Hassan Lanjar for their support. He also thanked Faryal Talpur, who he said had proposed the commission.

He commended the media for reporting the hearings accurately, singling out journalists Babar Saleem and Sault Jafri, whose investigative work he said had helped the commission without their knowing. A K-Electric representative submitted a sealed envelope that was taken on record.

He asked the Sindh government to consider giving the commission’s low-paid staff a bonus of two basic salaries.

What comes next

With its hearings over, the commission has formally ended its proceedings. The police investigation continues, and the central question of how Mir Raza died, along with the commission’s concerns over the handling of evidence, remains open.

This article draws on reporting by The Express Tribune.