Jibran Nasir moves to oppose judicial commission in Mir Raza case

Speaking with a private media, Nasir said Raza’s family would approach the Sindh High Court on Monday, seeking the formation of a joint investigation

KARACHI: Jibran Nasir, counsel for the family of young Karachi businessman Mir Raza Ali, has rejected the Sindh government’s decision to establish a judicial commission to examine the investigation into his death.

Speaking with a private media, Nasir said Raza’s family would approach the Sindh High Court on Monday, seeking the formation of a joint investigation team (JIT) and challenging the proposed judicial commission.

Nasir questioned why the commission was announced without consulting the family and why its terms of reference had not been made public. He also raised concerns over the timing of the government’s decision, saying police were expected to present their investigation report before the magistrate.

The lawyer questioned why the provincial government announced a judicial commission before the police formally submitted their report. He also asked whether the government already knew the findings of the investigation and disagreed with them.

Nasir further questioned why a JIT involving other law-enforcement agencies had not been formed and why alleged criminal conduct by police officials was not being investigated separately.

The dispute follows the Sindh government’s decision to seek a judicial commission to independently review the investigation into Raza’s death. The government has said the commission would examine whether the probe was conducted impartially and in accordance with the law, as well as whether any negligence, misconduct or mishandling of evidence occurred.

Raza’s family has repeatedly raised concerns about the investigation and has demanded a broader and more independent probe into the circumstances surrounding his death.

Raza, a 25-year-old businessman, was found dead in Karachi’s Gulistan-i-Jauhar on July 29, after being reported missing. His family has maintained that he was abducted and murdered, while the investigation initially considered suicide as a possible cause of death.

The case later took a different turn following a second post-mortem examination, which reportedly found multiple injuries and a gunshot wound to the back. Police subsequently included murder charges in the case.

The family’s objections to the investigation have intensified amid controversies surrounding the initial medico-legal examination, the medical board formed for the exhumation and changes to the investigation team.

With the family preparing to move the Sindh High Court, the controversy over whether the case should be examined by a judicial commission or a JIT is now likely to receive judicial scrutiny.