A judicial magistrate in Karachi has ordered the exhumation of young businessman Mir Raza Ali’s body, instructing the Sindh health secretary to establish a medical board to conduct the procedure. This development comes amid rising doubts regarding the initial post-mortem examination in this high-profile case.
The court’s directive followed a petition filed by the victim’s father, who raised concerns about alleged irregularities in the autopsy report. The magistrate accepted the petition after the prosecution stated it had no objections to the exhumation request and urged the authorities to carry out the order promptly.
During the hearing, the petitioner’s lawyer argued that the court had the authority to order exhumation without notifying the investigating officer first. He emphasized that the police could not oppose the exhumation, especially given the significant deficiencies identified in the post-mortem report.
However, the magistrate noted that such orders are not typically issued on the same day the application is filed and that the investigating officer should generally be informed. The petitioner’s counsel countered by highlighting that the police surgeon had pointed out numerous flaws in the autopsy, including the absence of X-rays and the failure to establish the exact cause of death.
He contended that the post-mortem appeared to be based on assumptions rather than a thorough forensic examination. The court questioned the prosecutor about issuing the exhumation order without notifying the investigating officer. The prosecutor responded that since the case involved a human life, the prosecution had no objections to the exhumation.
Following this, the magistrate approved the petition and instructed the Sindh health secretary to form a medical board to oversee the exhumation process at the earliest.
In a significant development days earlier, Karachi Police Surgeon Dr. Summaiya Syed had raised serious concerns about the initial post-mortem. In a letter to the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) East, she detailed multiple shortcomings in the autopsy report that necessitated further investigation before determining the cause of death.
The letter revealed that no chemical analysis was conducted to detect gunpowder residue near the alleged entry wound, and internal examinations of the skull and neck were omitted. Additionally, no X-rays were taken, hand swabs for gunpowder testing were not collected, and injuries were neither measured nor photographed standard forensic protocols.
Dr. Syed also questioned the bullet trajectory documented in the report, noting inconsistencies between the entry and exit wounds and the corresponding bone damage. She expressed doubts about the reported size of the gunshot wounds and pointed out that despite the victim’s face being described as unrecognizable, no DNA samples had been obtained to verify the body’s identity.
She concluded that the report contained several inconsistencies and lacked sufficient forensic documentation, making it difficult to draw reliable conclusions.
Meanwhile, the investigation team rejected the police surgeon’s critique. SSP Dr. Samiullah Soomro, leading the inquiry, stated that Dr. Syed neither performed the post-mortem nor physically examined the body, basing her observations solely on photographs. He described her comments as premature and affirmed that the official cause of death would be determined after completing all legal and forensic procedures.
The investigating officer previously indicated that if necessary, exhumation could be requested through the court upon recommendation by a medical board.
The death of Mir Raza Ali has attracted considerable public attention, with investigators continuing to scrutinize forensic, medical, and technical evidence to clarify the circumstances surrounding the case. The court’s latest order is expected to facilitate a new medical examination aimed at addressing the concerns raised about the initial autopsy.
