KARACHI: The investigation into the death of businessman Mir Raza Ali has taken a new turn on Friday after authorities reconstituted the judicial medical board assigned to exhume his body and conduct a second post-mortem, prompting his family and legal team to threaten to block the procedure.
The development comes just hours after a judicial magistrate approved the exhumation and directed the Sindh health authorities to arrange a fresh medico-legal examination following objections raised by Ali’s father over the initial post-mortem report and police investigation.
According to an official notification, the original eight-member medical board has been replaced with a five-member panel. Except for Karachi Police Surgeon Dr Sumaiyya Syed, who remains the convener, all other members have been changed.
The newly constituted board includes Prof Dr Zakiuddin, head of forensic medicine at Dow University of Health Sciences, Prof Dr Qazi Akbar of Liaquat University, Jamshoro, Dr Abid Hussain Chang as pathologist, and Hyderabad Police Surgeon Dr Waseem.
The development has drawn strong objections from Ali’s family, who questioned why the board was altered overnight.
The family’s lawyer Jibran Nasir said the judicial medical board had only been constituted a day earlier and its members were changed without explanation during the night. He said the family was dissatisfied with the revised panel and would approach the court over the latest notification.
Nasir also criticised the move, alleging that the board had been changed without justification. He claimed the family had made it clear that it would not permit the exhumation if even a single member of the original board was replaced.
He questioned why specialists from other cities had been brought in while doctors from Karachi had been removed, saying no reasons had been provided for excluding the previous members. Nasir added that the family would not allow the fresh post-mortem to proceed under the revised board.
Ali’s father, Mir Hussain, alleged that the overnight changes reinforced the family’s belief that influential people were involved in his son’s killing. He reiterated the family’s longstanding claim that Ali had been murdered.
He also claimed that injuries were visible on his son’s head during the last washing before burial and that skin was missing from both palms.
Meanwhile, Geo News has obtained some new photographs said to be of Ali’s clothing and body, which appear to raise further questions over the circumstances surrounding his death.
The images show what appears to be a bullet hole in Ali’s shirt with torn threads around the damaged area. The initial post-mortem report had stated that the bullet entered through the chest and exited through the back.
Other photographs appear to show injury-like marks on one foot and marks resembling bruises along the ribs on the right side of the body.
The fresh forensic examination was ordered after Ali’s father challenged the initial post-mortem findings, arguing that the earlier examination contained serious shortcomings. His legal counsel told the court that no X-ray examination had been conducted and that the cause of death had not been properly established.
The prosecution did not object to the request, following which the judicial magistrate directed the Sindh health secretary to constitute a medical board and carry out the exhumation at the earliest.
Ali, an IBA graduate, disappeared after leaving his home on the night of July 28, telling his family he would return within 10 minutes. His body was later found in bushes in Karachi’s Gulistan-e-Jauhar area, and the circumstances surrounding his death remain under investigation.
Ali’s grave to be exhumed at 9am today
In compliance with the court’s order, Police Surgeon Dr Sumaiyya Syed confirmed that a medical board has been formed to conduct a fresh post-mortem examination of the deceased businessman.
The police surgeon said that Ali’s grave would be exhumed at 9am on Friday. She said various samples would be collected from the body following the exhumation. After the sampling process is completed, the body will be reburied immediately, she added.
The surgeon said that the police have also been instructed to seal the post-mortem site.
Father rejects suicide theory
Speaking to the media outside the City Courts today, Mir Hussain said the family was relying on reports to understand the direction of the investigation and questioned why different theories were being discussed.
“If my son was in debt, then the whole country is in debt,” he said while rejecting suggestions that financial difficulties could explain the circumstances surrounding the death.
He maintained that the family was alleging murder, while investigators appeared to be pursuing other angles. Hussain also questioned the absence of the doctor who conducted the initial post-mortem and said police had yet to record the family’s statement.
“We are already suffering and only want justice,” he said.
Earlier, Hussain had maintained that his son was murdered and alleged that attempts were being made to portray the death as a suicide. He claimed Ali’s face, body and fingerprints had been burned and alleged that he had been shot from behind.
Sindh IGP claims major progress
Separately, Sindh Inspector General of Police Javed Alam Odho said the investigation was continuing and claimed police had made significant progress in the case.
“We have traced the Mir Raza case and worked very hard on it,” he said, adding that police would soon hold a press conference to share details of the investigation.
Post-mortem findings
Investigative sources had earlier said an initial medical assessment found that Ali sustained a gunshot wound to the chest.
Preliminary findings also suggested that he had taken a security guard’s weapon before the incident.
According to the preliminary post-mortem report, the body was estimated to be 24 to 36 hours old at the time of examination.
Medico-legal sources said the bullet’s entry wound was larger than the exit wound, indicating it was fired from behind and exited through the front. They added that suspicious marks were found on Ali’s right hand, while injuries were also visible on his face.
Special investigation team formed
Earlier, Karachi Additional Inspector General of Police Azad Khan constituted a three-member special investigation team to probe the case and directed officers to submit daily progress reports.
The team, headed by Special Investigation Unit SSP Samiullah Soomro, includes District East SSP Zubair Nazir Sheikh and SP Muhammad Usman Saduzai. It has been tasked with examining all aspects of the case and identifying those responsible, The News reported.
Investigators have also obtained Ali’s mobile phone data record and forensic report. According to officials, the records suggest he owed money to several people and had sought a loan of Rs30 million from a friend on the night of July 28.
Officials said statements from 15 people, including a taxi driver and the individual who first reported the discovery of the body online, had been recorded.
