Karachi Court orders Mir Ali Raza’s exhumation

KARACHI: A judicial magistrate’s court in Karachi has approved a plea seeking the exhumation of businessman Mir Ali Raza’s body, directing the Sindh Health Secretary to immediately constitute a medical board to oversee the process.

The Judicial Magistrate (East) announced the decision on Thursday after reserving its verdict following arguments from both sides. The court instructed the relevant authorities to complete the exhumation as soon as possible to facilitate a fresh medical examination.

During the hearing, counsel for the petitioner argued that the police had no legal grounds to object to the exhumation, maintaining that the procedure would be carried out under the supervision of the Police Surgeon and the Medical Legal Officer (MLO), as required under the law.

The lawyer further informed the court that the Police Surgeon had identified several deficiencies in the initial post-mortem report. According to the submissions, no X-rays were conducted, the exact cause of death was not conclusively established, and the report was allegedly prepared on assumptions rather than comprehensive medical findings.

The court questioned how such an order could be passed without first issuing notice to the investigating officer. In response, the government prosecutor stated that the prosecution had no objection to the exhumation, describing the matter as one involving the search for the truth in a human life.

The petitioner’s counsel argued that notifying the investigating officer at this stage could unnecessarily delay the proceedings and affect the timely collection of forensic evidence.

After noting the prosecution’s no-objection stance, the court accepted the family’s application and directed the Health Secretary to form a medical board without delay. The board will supervise the exhumation and carry out the necessary medical examination to help determine the cause of death more accurately.

The case has drawn public attention following questions raised by the deceased’s family over the circumstances surrounding Mir Ali Raza’s death and the quality of the initial forensic investigation.

The court’s decision is expected to pave the way for an independent medical review, with the findings likely to play a significant role in the ongoing investigation. Authorities are now expected to begin the legal and administrative process required to carry out the exhumation under official supervision.