Sindh cabinet extends Mir Raza inquiry commission’s tenure till Oct 15

The Sindh cabinet took the decision on Thursday to prolong the term of the judicial commission investigating the death of Mir Raza Ali until October 15. This extension, approved by Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, will afford the commission additional time to finalize its inquiry and compile its findings and recommendations. Speaking on behalf of the cabinet, Chief Minister’s spokesperson Abdul Rasheed Channa revealed that the commission, led by Sindh High Court Justice Omar Sial, had been actively conducting proceedings, with a focus on recording statements from numerous witnesses.

The body was informed that it had requested extra time to thoroughly investigate and prepare its findings. The cabinet also affirmed Justice Sial's authority to continue the inquiry if further time was deemed necessary. This decision follows a recommendation from the chief minister to extend the commission's tenure to October 15.

The commission's original one-month tenure concluded on September 27, after which it adjourned proceedings until October 2 to gather statements from remaining witnesses and finalize its report. During its previous sessions, the commission raised concerns about the handling of evidence, the performance of the initial investigation team, discrepancies in the first post-mortem report, and the formation of medical boards.

The commission expressed worry over CCTV footage from the crime scene, noting that only one of the 52 cameras installed in the vicinity had initially been retrieved. The commission also questioned the circumstances under which part of the crime scene had been set ablaze. Justice Sial had convened senior officials to address issues related to the investigation and medical examination.

The commission also scrutinized deficiencies in the initial post-mortem report, which reportedly ruled out suicide in a subsequent investigation, as per earlier court proceedings.