The body of late entrepreneur Mir Raza Ali was exhumed on Saturday after the original medical board was restored, as part of an ongoing investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death.
Mir Raza Ali’s remains were exhumed from Society Cemetery on Tariq Road following a court order, with samples collected for a forensic post-mortem examination.
All members of the restored medical board were present at the cemetery, along with Mir Raza’s family members and his lawyer, Jibran Nasir. A heavy police contingent was deployed at the site, while strict security arrangements were put in place.
The medical board collected various samples from the remains, including DNA samples. The board also decided to obtain DNA samples from Mir Raza’s parents for further examination.
Officials said different parts of the remains were examined, with specialists on the medical board conducting independent assessments.
The police surgeon, head of the identification project and a magistrate were also present during the exhumation and forensic examination.
The investigation into the death of young businessman Mir Raza Ali took a new turn earlier after his family rejected the newly reconstituted medical board, postponing the planned exhumation of his body for a second post-mortem.
Initial medical findings revealed that Ali had sustained a gunshot wound to the chest, while the preliminary post-mortem estimated the body to be 24 to 36 hours old at the time of examination.
Addressing reporters, the family’s lawyer, Jibran Nasir, said the exhumation scheduled for Friday had been postponed after authorities issued a third notification regarding the medical board.
According to Nasir, the latest notification merged the first and second medical boards into a new panel, but the victim’s family refused to accept its composition. He confirmed that Ali’s parents had already recorded their statements before the investigating officer.
The lawyer asked why members of the original eight-member medical board had been removed. He said the repeated changes through successive notifications had raised serious concerns for the family.
Nasir said the judicial magistrate had been informed that the family continued to trust the doctors included in the original board and would not accept the newly constituted panel.
He further said that the repeated changes were delaying the exhumation process, claiming that while those behind the move had failed to achieve their objective completely, they had succeeded in slowing down the investigation.
Raising concerns over the evidence, Nasir questioned the handling of CCTV footage, alleging that only selective clips were being presented. He said footage showed a man collecting garbage and a motorcycle passing through the area where Ali’s body was found, arguing that everyone seen near the scene should be investigated.
The lawyer also questioned the direction of the investigation, maintaining that even if a message attributed to Ali was considered authentic, it contained no indication that he intended to take his own life.
Family rejects revised medical board
A day earlier, a judicial magistrate had approved a petition filed by Ali’s father seeking exhumation of the body for a fresh post-mortem after expressing reservations over the preliminary report.
Police Surgeon Dr Sumaiyya Syed subsequently confirmed the formation of a medical board under the court’s orders, with the exhumation initially scheduled for 9am on Friday.
However, Nasir said the family objected to the process after provincial authorities allegedly replaced the medical board overnight.
In an emergency notice sent to the police surgeon and the Sindh health secretary, Nasir challenged the late-night reconstitution of the board, arguing that it violated the court’s directives.
He stated that following the magistrate’s order, the Karachi police surgeon had constituted an eight-member board comprising forensic and pathology experts. Nasir further argued that only the relevant divisional police surgeon had the legal authority to form a medical board for exhumation proceedings.
The notice alleged that the director general of health in Hyderabad replaced the entire panel on the night of August 6, describing the move as contrary to the court’s orders and an unlawful interference in the police surgeon’s authority.
Also read: Mir Raza Ali case takes new turn as family rejects reconstituted board