By: News Desk 92Pavilion | Updated: August 28, 2026
Quick Answer: The judicial commission set up to investigate the death of businessman Mir Raza Ali has begun its proceedings, issuing notices to his family, their lawyer Jibran Nasir, and the Sindh government’s focal person. The commission, headed by Justice Umar Sial, has been given 30 days to submit its findings and is inviting information from the public through newspaper advertisements.
The Commission Gets to Work
The commission held its first proceedings this week and immediately issued notices to the parties it considers central to the case. Mir Raza’s family and their lawyer were asked to appear on Friday, August 28, while a separate notice went out to the Sindh government’s designated focal person for the case. On the same day, the commission announced a reward of Rs100,000 for anyone who can provide credible information that helps establish the facts.
Justice Umar Sial, who is heading the panel, was appointed by the Sindh High Court chief justice specifically to examine the constitutional and legal aspects of the case and determine what actually happened to Mir Raza.
A Family That Wanted a Different Process
The commission’s formation has not gone smoothly with the victim’s family. Mir Raza’s sister said in a video message that the family only learned about the commission’s formation through media reports, not from any official communication, and that its terms of reference had never been made public to them.
The family’s lawyer, Jibran Nasir, raised a pointed question during the hearing: police were scheduled to submit their investigation report before a magistrate around the same time the commission was announced, and he asked whether the Sindh government had pre-empted that report because it expected to disagree with its conclusions. The family has instead petitioned the Sindh High Court to order the formation of a joint investigation team, arguing this would better serve the case at this stage.
A separate two-judge SHC bench, hearing that petition, has already issued its own notices to respondents and the Sindh advocate general, setting August 31 for replies. The family’s petition names nineteen individuals and institutions as respondents, including the two doctors who conducted Mir Raza’s post-mortem examinations and members of the original police investigation team.
What the Case Involves
Mir Raza Ali, an IBA graduate and businessman, went missing from Karachi’s PECHS area on July 28 and was found dead the next day near a wedding hall in Gulistan-e-Jauhar. His family has consistently rejected suggestions that he died by suicide, insisting from the start that he was murdered.
A second post-mortem, conducted after disagreements between the police surgeon and investigators over the first report, found that Mir Raza had been shot in the back. The report also documented other injuries, including a fracture on his right thigh and a deep injury to his jaw area, along with marks of violence elsewhere on his body.
Two Tracks, One Case
The case is now effectively moving on two tracks at once: the judicial commission conducting its own inquiry under a 30-day deadline, and the Sindh High Court separately weighing the family’s request for a joint investigation team instead. Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab has defended the commission, saying there is nothing improper about a judicial panel investigating the matter and urging the family to cooperate with the process.
Mir Raza’s father has continued to press for direct answers rather than more procedure, publicly asking Sindh officials why a joint investigation team was not being formed and who they believe is responsible for his son’s death.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is heading the judicial commission in the Mir Raza Ali case?
Sindh High Court Justice Umar Sial is heading the commission, appointed by the SHC chief justice.
What is the reward announced in the case?
The commission has announced Rs100,000 for anyone providing credible information that helps establish the facts of Mir Raza Ali’s death.
Why is Mir Raza’s family opposing the judicial commission?
The family says it was not informed before the commission’s formation and was not shown its terms of reference. They have asked the Sindh High Court to instead order a joint investigation team.
How did Mir Raza Ali die?
He went missing on July 28 and was found dead the next day in Gulistan-e-Jauhar. A second post-mortem found he had been shot in the back, along with other injuries on his body.
This report is based on reporting from ARY News, The News International, and The Express Tribune.
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