Cabinet decides that Justice Umar Sial could continue inquiry beyond extended deadline if further time is required
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah chairs a cabinet meeting at the CM House in Karachi. PHOTO: X
KARACHI:
The Sindh Cabinet on Thursday approved extending the term of the inquiry commission investigating the death of Mir Raza Ali until October 15, allowing Justice Omar Sial to continue the proceedings if more time was required.
The Sindh Home Department on August 24 notified the formation of a judicial commission to probe the death of 25-year-old Mir Raza Ali, with Justice Sial appointed as its head following his nomination by the Sindh High Court (SHC) chief justice through a letter dated the same day. The first hearing of the commission took place on September 1.
The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah at the CM House. The cabinet was briefed that the commission had conducted extensive proceedings and recorded statements from dozens of witnesses as part of its investigation.
The commission required additional time to complete its inquiry and finalise its findings and recommendations, the meeting was told. The cabinet subsequently approved extending the commission’s term until October 15.
It also decided that Justice Sial could continue the inquiry beyond the extended deadline if further time was required.
The commission’s term had expired on September 28, according to a written order issued by the commission. The commission had requested the Sindh government to extend its tenure until October 15.
The provincial government’s focal person, Javed Ahmed Abro, had informed the commission that the summary seeking an extension had been approved by the chief minister and forwarded to the Sindh Cabinet for a decision.
The commission had subsequently adjourned its proceedings until October 2, pending the cabinet’s decision.
The written order had stated that if the cabinet did not approve an extension, no further witnesses would be summoned and the commission would prepare and submit its report based on the statements recorded so far.
If the tenure was extended, fresh notices would be issued to witnesses, the order had added.
During an earlier hearing, Investigation Officer Siraj Lashari and a representative of the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) had appeared before the commission to record their statements. However, their statements had not been recorded because the commission’s term had expired.
The case so far
Mir Raza Ali, the 25-year-old owner of dessert brand Wafflix, went missing from Karachi’s PECHS area on July 28, 2026. His body was found the following day in bushes near a wedding hall in Gulistan-e-Johar. Police initially treated the death as a possible suicide, but a second post-mortem conducted after his exhumation found a firearm entry wound, multiple ante-mortem injuries and signs of internal bleeding, leading investigators to treat the case as murder.
The initial post-mortem had faced several objections, with the Karachi police surgeon identifying 14 deficiencies, including the absence of an X-ray, failure to collect hand swabs for gunshot-residue analysis and the lack of chemical examination of gunpowder marks around the bullet wound.
The investigation subsequently came under scrutiny from Raza’s family, who alleged serious lapses in the handling of evidence and CCTV footage and sought the formation of a joint investigation team. The Sindh High Court later rejected the family’s plea for a JIT but directed the relevant authorities to conduct the investigation impartially, fairly and expeditiously.
Read More: Mir Raza commission rejects family’s plea to summon top cops
Police told a Senate committee in September that they had recorded statements from 78 people but had not found evidence linking anyone to Raza’s alleged murder. Investigators nevertheless continued to treat the case as murder, while reviewing medical, chemical, forensic and digital evidence.
The Sindh government had meanwhile established a judicial commission headed by Sindh High Court Justice Umar Sial to examine the circumstances surrounding Raza’s death, the conduct of the investigation and any possible negligence or concealment of evidence by police or other officials.
The judicial commission had so far examined police records, witness statements and the circumstances surrounding Mir Raza Ali’s death, with its proceedings raising discrepancies in witness accounts, the handling of evidence and the initial post-mortem. The commission also questioned senior police and health officials over the investigation, including the handling of CCTV footage, Raza’s phone and smartwatch, and the initial focus on a possible suicide.