A judicial commission examining businessman Mir Raza Ali’s death has sharply criticised the police investigation, describing it as an “epic failure”. The inquiry identified serious lapses, including mishandled evidence, weak supervision and an apparent reluctance to reconsider the initial theory. Consequently, the commission has recommended a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to establish the facts surrounding his death.
Sindh High Court Justice Omar Sial headed the single-member commission, which submitted its executive summary to Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah on October 15. The Sindh government established the commission to examine the circumstances of Mir Raza’s death and assess possible negligence, misconduct, evidence manipulation or a cover-up.
The 25-year-old IBA graduate ran a waffle-making business and lived in Karachi’s PECHS area. He left home during the early hours of July 28, and his family reported him missing that day. Police recovered his body the following morning within Gulistan-e-Johar police station’s jurisdiction.
Commission Flags Serious Police Investigation Failures
The commission found that police failed to follow essential investigative procedures and lacked effective leadership, coordination and supervision. It described the handling of the case as “like a rudderless ship, not aware of its destination,” highlighting the absence of clear direction.
The report characterised the investigation as “negligent to criminally negligent” and criticised officers for handling crucial evidence and witnesses without properly recording their actions. Moreover, it said senior officers displayed “tunnel vision” by concentrating on one theory instead of examining the wider evidence.
The commission also raised concerns about possible attempts to conceal early investigative failures. It said some senior officers appeared to dismiss mistakes rather than acknowledge and address them. However, the commission clarified that it lacked investigative powers to establish conclusively whether an active cover-up occurred.
Police communication also drew criticism because officers failed to keep Mir Raza’s family and the public adequately informed. Furthermore, police did not follow the recommendation to appoint a focal person, allowing speculation to grow.
How Did the Initial Suicide Theory Collapse?
Police initially suggested that Mir Raza had died by suicide, but his family challenged that conclusion after noticing what they described as visible torture marks. Subsequently, concerns raised by the police surgeon over anomalies in the first post-mortem prompted authorities to exhume his body on August 8.
The final official post-mortem report established the cause of death as a perforating firearm injury from the back, ruling out suicide. Authorities subsequently added murder and destruction-of-evidence provisions to the first information report (FIR).
According to the commission, police relied on unverified text messages, selected video footage and the initial post-mortem report. However, that first report had not itself concluded that Mir Raza died by suicide.
The commission said the bullet’s trajectory, wound characteristics, absence of blood, body condition, acid burns and anaesthesia detected in the blood contradicted the suicide theory. It concluded that “The police inves
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