High court judge to investigate Mir Raza murder case, says home minister

• Announcement comes hours after Faryal Talpur recommends judicial probe• Previous investigation body sent packing as IGP forms new team• DSP, Jauhar SHO suspended for failing to preserve crime scene• Sharjeel moves NCCIA over ‘defamatory campaign’ KARACHI: In what appears to be a damage-control exercise, the provincial government has decided to conduct a judicial inquiry by a judge of the Sindh High Court into the murder of young businessman Mir Raza Ali, a day after a fresh autopsy ruled out the possibility of suicide on the grounds that he had been shot in the back and that his body bore marks of torture. An announcement to this effect was made by Sindh Home Minister Zia Lanjar a few hours after senior Pakistan Peoples Party leader and chairperson of the Sindh Assembly’s Standing Committee on Home Affairs, Faryal Talpur, recommended that the chief minister constitute a judicial commission to conduct a transparent, impartial and comprehensive investigation into the case. An IBA graduate and owner of the eatery Wafflix, Mir Raza had gone missing on July 28, and his body was found a day later with a gunshot wound in bushes near Shahi Qila Ground in Gulistan-i-Jauhar. When investigators reportedly focused their probe on the possibility of suicide and reports emerged about a flawed autopsy, Raza’s family filed an application before a judicial magistrate seeking the exhumation of the body for a fresh post-mortem examination. While the magistrate ordered the exhumation, the provincial government changed the composition of the medical board three times, fuelling rumours that there was an attempt to cover up the case. Later, the government restored the original medical board that had carried out the exhumation and conducted the autopsy and found that he had suffered injuries and had been shot in the back. On Sunday, in an attempt to show the public that there’s nothing to hide, senior PPP leader Faryal Talpur recommended a judicial commission, saying it should examine all aspects of the incident and bring the facts to light. “Legal and disciplinary action should be taken without discrimination against those found responsible in light of the commission’s findings,” she added. Talpur stressed that justice for the victim’s family must be ensured at all costs and that the public should be transparently informed of all facts surrounding the case. “No negligence or bias will be tolerated in meeting the requirements of justice,” she said, adding that providing justice to the bereaved family and maintaining public confidence in the justice system were fundamental responsibilities of the government and relevant institutions. A few hours after Talpur’s statement, Home Minister Lanjar and Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab reached deceased Raza’s residence, met with his father, Mir Hussain Ali, and assured the family that they would be provided complete justice. Talking to the media after the meeting, Lanjar said a decision had been taken to conduct a judicial inquiry, under the supervision of a Sindh High Court judge, into the murder case. He said a transparent and impartial investigation would be ensured. Speaking on the occasion, Mayor Wahab noted that Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah chaired a four-hour-long meeting during which “all aspects of the incident and the investigation were reviewed in detail”. New investigation team formed The Sindh police chief dismissed the previous investigation team headed by Special Investigation Unit SSP Dr Samiullah Soomro and appointed DIG Amir Farooqi to lead a five-member new committee. Other members of the committee are SSP Syed Muhammad Ali Raza, SP Qais Khan, SP Anam Tajjamul and Inspector Ch. Ghazanfar. According to a notification, “The team shall undertake a comprehensive and impartial investigation into the case from all relevant angles. The team shall identify, collect, preserve and examine any new or additional evidence and shall thoroughly examine and analyse all physical, technical, circumstantial and forensic evidence collected during the investigation. “The team shall make all-out efforts to work out the case and submit a report to the court concerned within the stipulated period. The team may co-opt any officer to assist in the investigation. Progress shall be reported on a day-to-day basis,” it added. DSP, Jauhar SHO suspended Karachi police chief Azad Khan has suspended Sharea Faisal DSP Muhammad Arshad Afridi and Gulistan-i-Jauhar SHO Kamran Qureshi with immediate effect. A police spokesperson said that both officials were suspended for failing to preserve the crime scene and conduct a proper crime-scene investigation after the body of Mir Raza was found. Sharjeel moves NCCIA against ‘malicious social media campaign’ Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon, through his counsel, filed an application before the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) against unknown persons for “causing harassment, creating false and malicious content on social media against him and his son. The application stated that certain social media accounts began circulating posts, videos and statements against Memon and his son, containing “allegations that are false, baseless, fabricated, and malicious in nature, and which are calculated to injure their reputation, dignity, and standing in society”. Memon stated that none of the allegations — that he owned the guest house in Gulistan-i-Jauhar, where Mir Raza was allegedly tortured and murdered and that his son had left for London immediately after the incident and has since been moving around with a bodyguard — has “any factual or evidentiary basis, and each is false, baseless, and malicious, being designed solely to malign” him and his son for extraneous political motives. His lawyer asked the NCCIA to register an FIR and proceed in accordance with law against the persons found responsible under the applicable provisions of the Prevention of Electronic Crime Act 2016 and any other law found attracted. Published in Dawn, August 10th, 2026