Sindh has set up a joint investigation team to look into the killing of Mir Raza, a young businessman whose death has drawn scrutiny of how police handled the case. The team was created after a judicial commission made recommendations in the Mir Raza murder matter. An official letter names DIG Irfan Ali Baloch as the team's head, and its members will come from the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI, Pakistan's main military intelligence agency), the Intelligence Bureau (IB, a civilian intelligence body), Sindh Rangers and the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA).
Mir Raza, who ran a waffle-making venture after graduating from the Institute of Business Administration, left his PECHS home in the pre-dawn hours of July 28. His family reported him missing the same day. His body was found the next morning in the area covered by the Gulistan-e-Johar police station.
Commission criticism and action against officers
The single-member commission was headed by Justice Omar Sial of the Sindh High Court. It concluded that the police investigation had seriously fallen short, saying officers did not follow the procedures needed to withstand court scrutiny and support a successful prosecution. The team now being formed is based on that commission's recommendation.
The Home Department has forwarded the commission's findings to the Sindh IGP, along with suggestions from a provincial cabinet subcommittee on disciplinary steps against officers named in the report. A further letter to the health department asks that Dr Osama Sheikh, a medico-legal officer who carried out the initial post-mortem examination, be removed from his post and made to complete two years of training.
Further probe and review
Sindh has additionally resolved to set up another inquiry panel under a senior officer of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). A request has gone to the federal interior ministry to name an FIA official at Grade 20 or higher to lead it. DIG Baloch and DIG Naeem Ahmed Shaikh are likely to sit on that panel too.
Separately, a one-member panel led by Zulfiqar Ali Larik, an Additional IG of the Counter-Terrorism Department, has been notified to assess the conduct of those named in the commission's report. DIG Baloch will support him in the work. The panel will also weigh the overall policing performance of those named, and look further at the role of Inspector Ghaus in the burning of the crime scene. It will report back to the Sindh police chief.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- July 28: Mir Raza leaves his PECHS home in the early hours, and his family reports him missing the same day.
- July 29: His body is recovered the following morning within the jurisdiction of Gulistan-e-Johar Police Station.
- After the judicial commission's report: the joint team is formed, the Home Department writes to the Sindh IGP and the health department, and further committees are proposed.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Sindh government ne Mir Raza ke qatl ki tehqeeqat ke liye mushtarka tehqiqati team banayi hai, jis mein ISI, IB, Rangers aur NCCIA ke afsar shamil hon ge. Judicial commission ne police tehqiqat ko kamzor qarar diya tha, is liye ab kuch police afsaron aur post-mortem karne wale doctor ke khilaf karwai ki sifarish hui hai. Aam shehri ke liye iska matlab hai ke police ke kaam ki sakht nigrani hogi aur case mein mazeed jaanch hogi. Aage ke faislon ka intezaar rahega.
