Judicial Commission Completes Probe into Mir Raza Case, Report to Be Submitted to Sindh CM
KARACHI:The judicial commission investigating the Mir Raza case has completed its proceedings and will submit its report to Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah.
The final meeting of the judicial commission, headed by Justice Umar Sial, was held on Wednesday. During the session, the commission questioned representatives of the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) and the investigating officer in detail about Mir Raza’s disappearance, the location of the incident, geofencing, CCTV footage, mobile phones, an Apple Watch, suspicious vehicles and various aspects of the investigation.
CPLC representative Kashif Iftikhar told the commission that despite reviewing all available digital records, the CPLC had been unable to reach any conclusive finding. He said geofencing had not revealed any suspicious number or unusual communication involving Mir Raza.
The commission also questioned investigating officer Siraj Lashari about witness statements, suspicious individuals and alleged damage to evidence at the crime scene.
The commission observed that witnesses were not acknowledging the statements they had allegedly given to police and noted that police had questioned witnesses primarily about financial matters.
Lashari told the commission that the operations and investigation wings of police work jointly in high-profile cases. He said police had also questioned an officer regarding the fire at the crime scene and had contacted the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) for further information about Mir Raza’s cryptocurrency trading.
The commission directed authorities to conduct further investigation into the anaesthetic substance reportedly found in Mir Raza’s body.
The commission also expressed displeasure over the repeated recording of Dr Usama’s statement, questioning why so much importance was being given to the testimony of one doctor. It observed that the situation appeared to suggest that eight doctors were wrong while only Dr Usama was correct.
Siraj Lashari explained that a request had been made to constitute a super medical board because of discrepancies between the two medical reports.
The commission further directed police to register a case over the alleged leaking on social media of a conversation with Mir Raza’s fiancée.
The commission remarked that many pieces of information might not have been provided to the family had the judicial commission not been formed. It also questioned the suspension of junior officers over alleged negligence, observing that the major issues appeared to involve higher-level officials.
Meanwhile, family lawyer Jibran Nasir requested that a copy of the commission’s report be provided to the family.
The commission responded that the report would be submitted to the Sindh chief minister, who would have discretion regarding its release.
