KARACHI: The Sindh government has constituted an eight-member medical board to supervise the exhumation and fresh medico-legal examination of young businessman Mir Raza Ali’s body after a Karachi court ordered a new forensic review in the high-profile murder case.
The medical board was formed on the directions of the Sindh Health Secretary following a judicial magistrate’s order to exhume the body after concerns were raised about the quality of the initial post-mortem examination.
According to an official notification, Professor Dr Naseem Ahmed, Head of the Department of Pathology at Dow Medical College, will lead the board. Other members include Dr Farah Waseem, Assistant Professor of Forensic Medicine at Sindh Medical College, Additional Police Surgeon Dr Shari Chand, District Medico-Legal Officer at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre Dr Kamran Khan, Medico-Legal Officer Dr Daniyal Mirza, Administrative In-charge of the Karachi Police Surgeon’s Office Dr Muhammad Yaseen, Karachi Police Surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed, and forensic identification expert Aamir Hasan Khan from the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC).
The board has been tasked with supervising the exhumation and conducting a comprehensive forensic and medico-legal examination to help determine the exact cause and circumstances surrounding Mir Raza Ali’s death.
Earlier in the day, a judicial magistrate approved a petition filed by the victim’s father seeking exhumation of the body. The court directed the Sindh Health Secretary to immediately constitute a medical board and ensure the process is completed without delay.
During the hearing, counsel for the petitioner argued that the original post-mortem report contained serious deficiencies that necessitated a fresh forensic examination. The prosecution informed the court that it had no objection to the request, leading the magistrate to approve the petition.
The case took a new turn after Karachi Police Surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed identified multiple shortcomings in the initial autopsy through a letter addressed to the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) East. The concerns included the absence of gunpowder residue analysis, failure to conduct X-rays, lack of internal examination of the skull and neck, inadequate forensic photography, and failure to collect DNA samples despite the condition of the body.
The police surgeon also questioned the documentation of alleged entry and exit wounds, the reported bullet trajectory and the overall forensic methodology adopted during the initial examination.
However, the investigation team rejected the criticism, maintaining that the police surgeon did not personally conduct the autopsy and that the official cause of death would only be established after completion of all legal and forensic procedures.
The newly constituted medical board is expected to carry out an independent forensic review aimed at addressing the concerns raised over the original post-mortem and assisting investigators in determining the exact circumstances surrounding Mir Raza Ali’s death.