KARACHI: The planned exhumation of young businessman Mir Raza Ali’s body was postponed on Friday after his family stopped the administration from proceeding over objections to the composition of the new medical board overseeing the process.
Ali — an IBA graduate — returned home from his shop on the night of July 28 before leaving again, telling his family he would be back within 10 minutes. Police later recovered his body from bushes in Block 1 of Gulistan-e-Jauhar.
Investigative sources later said that an initial medical assessment found that Ali sustained a gunshot wound to the chest. According to the preliminary post-mortem report, the body was estimated to be 24 to 36 hours old at the time of examination.
Speaking to reporters, the family’s lawyer Jibran Nasir said that the exhumation has been postponed for today, adding that a third notification concerning the medical board had been issued.
Nasir said the latest notification merged the first and second medical boards to form a third panel. However, he maintained that the victim’s family does not accept the newly constituted board.
The lawyer also confirmed that Ali’s parents have recorded their statements before the investigating officer.
Nasir alleged political interference in the case, questioning why members of the original eight-member medical board were removed.
He said the repeated issuance of notifications had created concerns for the family.
The lawyer said that the judicial magistrate had been informed that the new medical board was not acceptable to the family, which continued to place confidence in the doctors included in the earlier notification.
Nasir alleged that delays were being caused in the exhumation process and claimed that those behind the changes had not fully succeeded but had managed to delay the proceedings.
The lawyer raised questions over the CCTV footage and said different clips were being shown selectively.
He said footage showed a person collecting garbage and a motorcycle passing where Ali’s body was found, adding that everyone who passed through the location should be examined.
Nasir also questioned the investigation into Ali’s death, saying that even if a message attributed to the deceased was accepted, it did not contain any mention of suicide.
Family opposes exhumation
A day earlier, a judicial magistrate’s court approved a plea filed by Ali’s father seeking exhumation of the deceased businessman’s body for a fresh post-mortem after he raised concerns over the preliminary report.
Police Surgeon Dr Sumaiyya Syed later confirmed the formation of the medical board on the judicial magistrate’s order, with exhumation planned at 9am today.
However, Nasir said earlier in the morning that the family had opposed the proceedings, alleging that the provincial authorities changed the medical board overnight.
In an emergency notice to the police surgeon and the Sindh health secretary, Nasir questioned the overnight replacement of the medical board constituted following court orders.
Nasir said that the court had directed the police surgeon and the health secretary to constitute a medical board, after which the Karachi police surgeon formed an eight-member board comprising forensic and pathology experts.
He further argued that only the relevant divisional Police surgeon had the authority to constitute a medical board for exhumation.
The lawyer alleged that the Hyderabad director general of health constituted a new medical board on the night of August 6, replacing all members of the original panel.
The notice claimed the move was contrary to the court’s orders and amounted to interference in the Police surgeon’s authority.