Karachi police book protesters over Sharea Faisal blockade

Karachi police book protesters over Sharea Faisal blockade

Karachi police have registered  a case against around 100 protesters accused of blocking Sharea Faisal during demonstrations seeking justice in the murder case of businessman Mir Raza Ali.

According to the FIR filed on Friday, Sub-Inspector Muhammad Nizam reported seeing around 100 people blocking a section of Sharea Faisal between Saddar and the airport at around 3am on August 27.

The protesters allegedly carried sticks and banners displaying slogans including “Arrest the killers of Mir Raza Ali”. The complainant said the demonstrators disrupted the movement of vehicles and pedestrians while chanting slogans.

Police officials reportedly tried to persuade the protesters to clear the road, but the demonstrators allegedly refused and continued their protest.

The FIR names 20 identified individuals and lists around 75 to 80 unidentified people as their associates.

Mir Raza Ali, a 25-year-old businessman from Karachi, was found dead from a gunshot wound in Gulistan-i-Jauhar last month, one day after his family reported him missing on July 28. The circumstances surrounding his death have sparked controversy, with his family questioning the investigation and alleging that authorities have attempted to conceal important facts.

Ali’s family members, friends and civil society activists have continued nightly demonstrations near Nursery on Sharea Faisal, maintaining that they will not end their campaign until the authorities deliver justice.

Meanwhile, a judicial commission set up to investigate Ali’s death and examine the police probe began proceedings on Friday. Justice Omar Sial, who heads the single-member commission, summoned medico-legal officer Osama Sheikh, who conducted Ali’s initial autopsy.

The commission also called two Nursery employees who discovered Ali’s body and alerted police, along with Edhi volunteers and police officers who reached the scene.

The proceedings began with a prayer for Ali. Justice Sial told Ali’s father, Mir Hussain Ali, that he understood what the family was going through.

The family’s lawyer, Advocate Jibran Nasir, also appeared before the commission and alleged that police officials were facing restrictions in carrying out their responsibilities.

Nasir further claimed that authorities were taking legal action against people assisting the family. He said the family had so far received only copies of statements recorded from its members.

According to Nasir, CCTV footage showed that Ali left his home at around 4am on July 28 and was last seen alive at approximately 4:30am that morning.