The Sindh government has established an eight-member medical board to supervise the exhumation and conduct a new medico-legal examination of the body of young businessman Mir Raza Ali. This action follows a judicial magistrate’s order in the high-profile death case.
The board’s formation was directed by the Sindh health secretary after the court accepted a petition demanding the body’s exhumation due to concerns about the initial post-mortem report. Professor Dr Naseem Ahmed, Head of Pathology at Dow Medical College, has been appointed to lead the board.
Other members include Dr Farah Waseem, Assistant Professor of Forensic Medicine at Sindh Medical College; Dr Shari Chand, Additional Police Surgeon; Dr Kamran Khan, District Medico-Legal Officer at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC); Dr Daniyal Mirza, Medico-Legal Officer at JPMC; Dr Muhammad Yaseen, Administrative In-charge of the Karachi Police Surgeon’s Office; Karachi Police Surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed; and forensic identification expert Aamir Hasan Khan from the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC).
The board’s mandate is to oversee the exhumation process and carry out a thorough forensic and medico-legal investigation to clarify the circumstances surrounding Mir Raza Ali’s death.
In a significant development, the judicial magistrate accepted a petition filed by the victim’s father requesting the exhumation. The court instructed the Sindh health secretary to promptly form the medical board and ensure the procedure proceeds swiftly.
During the hearing, the petitioner’s counsel highlighted serious flaws in the initial post-mortem examination, emphasizing the need for a fresh forensic analysis. The prosecution raised no objections to the exhumation, leading to the magistrate’s approval.
The case drew further attention after Karachi Police Surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed pointed out multiple deficiencies in the original autopsy in a letter to the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) East. Issues cited included the absence of gunpowder residue testing, failure to perform X-rays, no internal examination of the skull and neck, insufficient forensic photography, and the lack of DNA sample collection despite the body’s condition.
Dr Syed also questioned the documentation of the alleged entry and exit wounds, bullet trajectory, and the overall forensic methodology employed during the initial examination. However, the investigation team dismissed these criticisms, noting that Dr Syed had not personally conducted the autopsy and stating that the official cause of death would be determined only after all legal and forensic procedures are completed.
The establishment of this medical board is expected to facilitate a comprehensive new medico-legal examination, addressing concerns about the initial autopsy and aiding investigators in ascertaining the exact cause and circumstances of Mir Raza Ali’s death.
