Sindh Home Minister Zia Ul Hassan Lanjar on Thursday tendered an “unconditional apology” before the judicial commission probing the murder of Karachi businessman Mir Raza Ali.
The one-member commission, headed by Sindh High Court Justice Omar Sial, had summoned the provincial minister to clarify the interruption during its previous proceedings.
Appearing before the commission, Lanjar said there had been a “misunderstanding” and apologised unconditionally.
“We want Mir Raza’s family to get justice, and whoever is involved in the case should be brought to justice,” Lanjar said.
He assured the commission that the Sindh government would support its proceedings and would not seek to obstruct its work.
Justice Sial told the minister that the purpose of summoning him was to help restore public and the victim family’s confidence in the inquiry.
He stressed that the family’s lawyers should be allowed to question witnesses appearing before the commission.
Lanjar said the commission had the authority to allow anyone it deemed appropriate to ask questions and assured the judge that the provincial government would stand by its proceedings.
Earlier, the family of young businessman Mir Raza called for the formation of a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to ensure a transparent probe into his murder, the private media outlet reported.
The family’s lawyer, Jibran Nasir, said the government’s lawyer had acknowledged that the judicial commission was not set up to investigate the murder.
Nasir said the commission would only conduct an inquiry and determine the facts of the case. He questioned why the authorities were asking the petitioners questions that should instead be directed to the police.
He said the authorities had initially failed to clearly define the commission’s scope and Terms of Reference (ToRs). According to Nasir, the government’s lawyer later clarified that the commission had no mandate to investigate the case and would only conduct a fact-finding inquiry.
Nasir said the court repeatedly asked the Sindh government whether it objected to forming a JIT.
According to the lawyer, the Sindh government said the matter was not a competition and that it shared the family’s grief. However, the provincial government opposed the JIT, arguing that no legal provision allowed its formation.
Nasir questioned why the Sindh government believed the family was accusing the entire provincial administration of involvement in Mir Raza’s murder.
He said the provincial government included several ministers and secretaries besides the chief minister. Nasir added that an individual at any level could potentially have helped or supported the alleged killers, making a proper investigation necessary.
