KARACHI: The Mir Raza Judicial Commission on Monday turned down a plea by a medico-legal officer, who had conducted the first autopsy, to record his further testimony, as MLO Dr Osama Shaikh was willing to justify his findings about the bullet’s entry point from the front side of the body.

The one-man commission headed by Justice Omar Sial of the Sindh High Court said it had sensed from questions put to MLO Shaikh that his sole purpose in recording a further statement was to throw mud at the police surgeon and the chief minister, and the commission was not a forum for mud-slinging.

The MLO had approached the commission at the last hearing and requested that he be allowed to record a further statement after the Police Surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed, in her testimony before the commission, had pointed a finger at him for committing several lapses during the first autopsy.

The commission observed, “Upon a query as to whether he wanted to say that the death of Mir Raza was a suicide and not a murder, he said that is not what he wanted to say. He clarified that it was not a suicide. He wanted to justify his finding that the bullet came from the front.”

Justice Sial says commission has enough information to determine what transpired

Justice Sial, in his order, said, “I have enough information for that. The commission has its own mind to determine what has transpired. Therefore, I decline Dr Osama Shaikh’s request.”

The commission adjourned its hearing till Tuesday (today) to record the statements of ASP Nida, brothers Asif and Abid, said to be investors in Raza’s firm and two others.

‘Instructions to change medical board issued over phone’

The commission recorded the testimony of Sindh DG Health Services Pervez Ahmed Shaikh.

The DG deposed that the secretary of the health department has the authority to constitute a medical board for an exhumation; however, the secretary has also delegated such powers to the DG.

The commission noted that the Sindh Medico Legal Act was enacted in 2023 and asked the DG whether he ever asked the health secretary how he could delegate such authority since the law did not give him such power.

In response, the DG said he came to know about the law later, while the routine procedure had already been in practice for some time.

The commission then asked who had asked him to change a medical board, constituted by the police surgeon, the night before the exhumation of Raza’s body.

The DG said Special Secretary Health Shehryar Memon told him that Secretary Health Tahir Hussain Sangi told Mr Memon that the DG had the authority to constitute the board and claimed that he was not aware of the medical board formed by the police surgeon.

“I was travelling from Karachi to Hyderabad when special secretary health called me and instructed to form a medical board, and at that time, I was unaware about the board constituted by the police surgeon and after reaching the office, I came to know about such a medical board”, he added. The DG also asserted that the special secretary health had called him and said that the police surgeon had formed an improper board and instructed him to form another board.

At this juncture, Justice Sial that the special secretary health had called him and said that the police surgeon had formed an improper board and instructed him to form another board.

At this juncture, Justice Sial said the Sindh government should take notice that all instructions were being issued over the phone in the subject matter.

When the commission asked him if anyone other than the secretary health put pressure on him to change the medical board, the DG claimed that no one had pressured him and he had received all instructions from the special secretary health.

It also recorded the testimonies of Raza’s employees Kazim Hussain and Omair Khan, Ahmed Hasan Shaikh, said to be a creditor, and Ali Shaaz during Monday’s proceedings.

Omair Khan testified that he had joined Raza’s firm recently and it was next to impossible for him to inform the commission whether or not Raza’s business was in losses.

Ahmed Hasan Shaikh deposed that he met Raza for the first time with their common friend Usman Buzai in June, since the victim was looking for an investment of Rs3 million to expand his business. They met again in July, when he provided the same.

He had also submitted a copy of an investment and profit sharing agreement executed between him and the owners of Wafflix, Mir Raza and Ahmed Bhardey in July this year.

Kazim Hussain deposed that he had been working as a supervisor at the victim’s firm since 2021 and was unaware of sales issues since he was looking after the administrative side.

When the commission asked him if he told the police that Raza was quite worried due to the money he had borrowed from various people. The supervisor denied that he had given any such statement to the police.

Ali Shaaz said that he was running an information technology company and met Raza in 2016-17. He also deposed that they had met in December last year and the victim had asked him to invest Rs2.5m. However, the witness said that he had refused to invest the following day.

The commission, in its order, noted that after his media interviews, in which he complained that he had much more to say than he had told the commission, Ahmed Bhardey was allowed to answer the family’s questions and tell them what he knew.

Published in Dawn, September 22nd, 2026