Mir Raza murder case: Judicial commission notes motives of MLO who conducted first postmortem 'appear tainted'

A judicial commission probing the Mir Raza Ali murder case has raised concerns over the motives of Dr Osama Sheikh, the medico-legal officer who performed the initial autopsy. Ali's body was discovered in Karachi's Gulistan-i-Jauhar on July 29, a day after he went missing. The family accused the police of attempting to conceal the truth, leading to the formation of the judicial commission holding regular hearings to investigate the circumstances and potential negligence in the case.

Dr Summaiya Syed, a Karachi Police Surgeon, accused Dr Sheikh of instigating a "malicious campaign" against her after she contested the findings of Ali's first post-mortem. Justice Omar Sial, who heads the one-member commission, noted that Dr Sheikh's motives "appear tainted," stating that his conduct attempted to damage the commission's honor and detract from its purpose.

Dr Syed expressed immense mental anguish due to the defamatory material circulating on social media, claiming that harassment from the medical community prevented her from assisting in rectifying mistakes made by junior officers. The commission requested an investigation by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency into the message exchanges between Dr Sheikh and Dr Syed, as well as the responsibility for leaking the defamatory messages online.

The commission also expressed dissatisfaction with Dr Sheikh's answers, questioned the discrepancies between his initial and final reports, and inquired whether he or a sweeper conducted the autopsy. The family of Mir Raza Ali has alleged that another special medical board is being considered, which could nullify the commission's work if confirmed.