Sindh govt forms JIT to investigate Mir Raza case, orders action against police officials
The Sindh government on Saturday constituted a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to investigate the death of Mir Raza Ali, appointing Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) West Zone Karachi Irfan Ali Baloch as its convener, whose killing was initially treated by police as suicide but was later ruled a murder by the commission.
Raza, a graduate who ran a waffle-making business under the banner Wafflix, went missing from his PECHS residence in the early hours of July 28. Later, his body was found within the jurisdiction of Gulistan-e-Johar Police Station. A post-mortem was conducted at Jinnah Hospital, and the body was buried the same day.
Police initially opined the death to be a suicide. The family contested this, claiming the body bore visible torture marks. The commission recorded that the police surgeon, in early August, pointed out anomalies in the first post-mortem report — the very document police had relied upon for their suicide theory. The body was exhumed on August 8, initial findings were shared on August 8–9, and the final official report, issued around August 31, confirmed the cause of death as “a perforating firearm injury from the back, ruling out suicide”.
The JIT would include representatives of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Intelligence Bureau (IB), Sindh Rangers and the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA).
The Sindh Home Department had written to the relevant agencies, seeking the names, designations and contact details of their nominated officers within seven days.
The federal Interior Ministry had also been asked to nominate a senior Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) officer of Grade 20 or above for the JIT. The ISI representative was required to be at least a Grade 18 officer.
Separately, the Sindh government had initiated measures to implement the recommendations of the judicial inquiry commission that examined the circumstances surrounding Raza’s death and identified alleged shortcomings in the police investigation.
Inquiry into 13 police officers and personnel
Additional Inspector General of Police (IGP) counter-terrorism department (CTD) Zulfiqar Ali Larik was appointed head of a one-member committee tasked with reviewing the performance of 13 police officers and personnel named in the judicial inquiry report. DIG West Zone Baloch would assist the committee.
The committee would examine the officials’ conduct, performance and leadership capabilities and submit its findings and recommendations regarding each officer to the Sindh IGP.
The judicial commission recommended further investigation into Inspector Ghaus’s role in the case, particularly in connection with the alleged burning of the crime scene.
The committee would also investigate allegations that Station House Officer (SHO) Kamran Qureshi had facilitated the destruction of evidence.
Read: Judicial commission grills doctor over errors in Mir Raza’s first post-mortem report, calls it ‘criminal negligence’
SHO Ferozabad Adeel Afzal and Sub-Inspector Shabbir Laghari had been recommended for suspension and disciplinary proceedings. SHO Kamran Qureshi and Inspector Ghaus had also been suspended, with disciplinary action initiated against them.
The inquiry committee would examine possible violations of Sections 201, 166(2) and 218 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) in connection with the conduct of police officials.
DIG West Zone Baloch and DIG Special Branch Naeem Ahmed Sheikh would also be part of the inquiry committee.
Action against senior police officers
The Sindh government had decided to communicate the judicial commission’s observations to DIG Amir Farooqi and DIG Farrukh Lanjar.
Arrangements would be made for the training of the investigation team headed by Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Samiullah Somroo, while Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Siraj Lashari and Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Nida Junaid would be asked to explain their conduct.
SSP Zubair Nazir Sheikh and Superintendent of Police (SP) Usman Suduzai would also be informed of the commission’s observations.
However, no further action would be taken against Additional Inspector General of Police (AIG) Karachi Azad Khan.
The commission had recommended acknowledging the performance of Head Muharrar Zeeshan and Police Constable Muhammad Arif and providing them with further training.
The cabinet’s subcommittee had directed the IGP to take action in line with the judicial commission’s recommendations.
Inquiry into health officials and medico-legal procedures
The Sindh government had also decided to initiate an inquiry against Special Secretary Health Shehryar Memon in connection with the implementation of the judicial commission’s recommendations.
A request had been sent to the chief secretary to arrange an inquiry by a senior officer.
The commission had pointed to an alleged lack of leadership and supervision on the part of Health Secretary Tahir Sangi. Its observations would be conveyed to him through the chief secretary.
On the commission’s recommendation, the Sindh Health Department had been directed to formulate rules under the medico-legal framework.
The Sindh Home Department had instructed the health secretary to suspend Dr Osama Sheikh and initiate proceedings against him under the applicable CND rules. Dr Sheikh would also be sent for further training in accordance with the judicial commission’s recommendations.
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah had approved the recommendations of the cabinet’s subcommittee.
Judicial Commission recommends JIT
A case that began with a missing young man and a police theory of suicide has exposed what a judicial commission has described as a deeply flawed investigation, compromised evidence and a breakdown of public trust so severe that even the identification of the actual killer may not convince the public.
The single-member Judicial Commission probing the death of 25-year-old Raza has recommended a joint investigation team (JIT), led by DIG Irfan Baloch and comprising senior representatives of the ISI, IB, Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) and the NCCIA, to establish the truth.
Read more: Mir Raza case: Commission says Dr Usama targeted Dr Summaiya with smear campaign
In a scathing assessment, the commission termed the police investigation an “epic failure”, warning that the trust deficit between the Sindh police and society had become “nearly unrectifiable” in this case.
Headed by Sindh High Court Judge Justice Omar Sial, the commission submitted its report to the provincial chief minister on October 15, 2026.
‘It was a murder’
The commission concluded that the available medical and physical evidence was incompatible with suicide. “The bullet trajectory, the unusual location of the wound for a self-inflicted injury, the absence of blood, the state of the body, the principles of medical jurisprudence, acid burns and the anesthesia detected in the blood, all clearly excluded suicide as the cause of death. It was a murder,” the report stated.
Police probe under fire
The commission found that the police had failed in their most basic responsibility: establishing the truth. It said the suicide hypothesis rested on a handful of unconfirmed text messages, selectively obtained video footage and a preliminary post-mortem report that did not itself conclude that the death was a suicide.
The report also pointed to contradictions between the first and second reports prepared by Dr Osama Shaikh, further weakening the police position.
Describing the investigation as “a rudderless ship, not aware of its destination”, the commission said the possibility of an active cover-up in the initial stages “cannot be conclusively ruled out”.
Medical board controversy
The commission described the change in medical board as a “highly irregular, inexplicable, legally flawed overreach”, attributing it to officials at the upper levels of the Sindh Health Secretariat, particularly the secretary and special secretary.
It further observed that the director-general of health services had “looked the other way”, despite being aware that he lacked the legal authority to constitute such a board. “The two gentlemen who directed the change in the Board could not give a cogent reason for the abrupt change,” the report stated.
JIT and criminal accountability
With a significant portion of the physical evidence compromised, the commission said the case had reached a critical juncture at which a conventional police investigation was unlikely to restore public confidence.
It warned that even an accurate conclusion or the apprehension of the actual culprit might not be accepted by the public because of the severe breakdown in trust..
The commission also called on the police to acknowledge their operational failures, apologise transparently and initiate formal inquiries against the officers responsible.Read More