KARACHI: The judicial commission formed to investigate the circumstances and possible negligence in the Mir Raza Ali murder has asked the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) to extensively investigate the issue of message exchange between the police surgeon and a medico-legal officer regarding the autopsy in the case.

The commission, headed by Justice Omar Sial of the Sindh High Court, also ordered the director of the NCCIA Karachi to assign the matter to a seasoned officer to determine whether defamatory messages circulating on the internet were forensically sound and who was responsible for leaking them on social media.

It further asked the NCCIA to submit a comprehensive report on the subject issue to the commission before the end of its tenure to enable it to make appropriate observations in its final report to the provincial government.

The police surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed had turned up before the commission on Tuesday and accused MLO Dr Osama Sheikh, who conducted the first autopsy of the victim, of allegedly instigating a malicious campaign against her after she had disputed his findings of the first post-mortem.

Judicial commission saddened by defamatory social media campaign against Dr Summaiya Syed

The commission, in its order issued on Wednesday, said that the police surgeon had submitted a letter coupled with a number of documents as evidence of the malicious campaign launched against her on the instigation of Dr Sheikh.

It also said, “She has informed the commission that she is under immense mental anguish and that the material being circulated against her had set a very dangerous precedent that no senior henceforth shall attempt to help rectify mistakes done by the junior for fear of prosecution”.

The commission further stated, “I was saddened to see the police surgeon come to the commission and in a very graceful, polite and professional manner request that the commission take notice of the highly defamatory and dangerous social media campaign against her”.

It noted that Dr Syed was a distinguished and seasoned professional with an impressive academic and work background, and her being subjected to such harassment was unacceptable. “She is an asset to the government. Rather than appreciate her services, she is being defamed”, it added.

The commission also observed that the MLO’s motives and intentions appeared tainted and his conduct has attempted to damage the honour of the commission and to detract from and scandalise its real purpose.

Justice Sial further noted the aggrieved family has informed the commission that they believed another special medical board was being considered and despite several efforts the family did not get any reply from DIG Amir Farooqi, who is heading the current investigation team, for confirmation.

It said that if the information of the victim’s family was correct, such a move would nullify the commission’s work to date. “The commission will then be unable to give its conclusive findings. It will narrow the commission’s terms. The government of Sindh has incurred substantial expenses in running this commission”, it added.

The commission also noted that the absence of reliable, efficient, and complete communication between the deceased’s family and the police was fuelling public speculation and directed the provincial police chief to appoint a focal person of police to communicate with the family and provide official information to the media.

It further observed that despite repeated directives and reminders, the entire record about the case has not been provided to the commission yet and that such a lack of relevant records was regrettable.

It said that the commission has sent a request to the Sindh government for an extension of time for submission of its report till Oct 15.

The commission also issued notices to Secretary Health Department Tahir Hussain Sangi, Senior Superintendent of Police Samiullah Soomro, who headed the first investigation team, and newly appointed Director General Health Shehryar Memon for their appearance on Thursday.

It further summoned the current investigating officer of the case DSP Siraj Ahmed Lashari and CPLC assistant chief (Operations/Complaint Resolution Centre) Kashif Iftikhar for Sept 28.

Published in Dawn, September 24th, 2026