The father of slain Karachi entrepreneur Mir Raza Ali has rejected the Sindh government’s proposal to establish a judicial commission to oversee the investigation into his son’s death, saying the family has confidence in the newly-formed police team.
Mir Hussain told media on Monday that the family had been informed about the proposed commission but had told Sindh Home Minister Ziaul Hassan Lanjar that it did not support the move at this stage. “We have confidence in the new investigation team and believe it will bring the facts to light,” he said.
Mir Hussain specifically praised Amir Farooqi, whom he described as an officer of good repute, and said he hoped the five-member investigation team would establish what happened to his son.
He said the family expected the team to complete its findings within four to five days, adding that if the family considered it necessary to pursue the matter before another forum after reviewing the findings, it would decide at that point.
Mir Hussain also called for the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC), a police-community coordination body, to be involved in the investigation, particularly in conducting a technical examination.
He raised questions about aspects of the investigation, saying Mir Raza Ali’s business partner was also missing and had been questioned by police only once.
He said the family had not been informed about an investigation involving employees of a guesthouse in Gulistan-e-Jauhar and questioned why CCTV footage from the premises had not been made public.
Earlier, the Sindh government on Sunday proposed a judicial commission to oversee the case as Lanjar visited the victim’s residence with Karachi Mayor Barrister Murtaza Wahab and senior police officials to offer condolences.
Lanjar said the provincial government would write to the chief justice of the Sindh High Court (SHC) requesting the formation of a commission headed by an SHC judge, on the recommendation of Chief Minister (CM) Murad Ali Shah.
Mir Raza Ali’s lawyer Jibran Nasir said the family had neither sought nor consented to a judicial commission and did not consider one necessary at this stage.
Nasir said a new investigation team had already been constituted and that the family was scheduled to meet its members on Monday. “The Sindh government should not try to create hurdles or confusion in the name of ‘facilitation’,” he added.
