'I went to meet Mir Raza’s fiancée only to assist': ASP Nida tells judicial commission

KARACHI: ASP Nida appeared before the judicial commission investigating the killing of young Karachi businessman Mir Raza and explained the circumstances surrounding her meeting with his fiancée.

During the proceedings, the commission questioned ASP Nida about why an assistant superintendent of police from another province had sent her to meet the fiancée and issued directions to her.

The commission asked whether such involvement was routine and whether she had the authority to intervene in an ongoing investigation, observing that the move had raised questions about her role.

ASP Nida said her meeting with Ali Shaz was routine and was conducted as part of efforts to gather information.

The commission questioned why Ali Shaz was not simply directed to provide the voice note to the investigating officer. Expressing displeasure, the commission remarked that the Ferozabad police station was not a “White House” and said ASP Nida could have accompanied Ali Shaz to the relevant officers herself.

ASP Nida maintained that recording the witness’s statement was the responsibility of the investigation team.

The commission also questioned why she had sent a message containing the audio to the SSP, asking whether this was part of her routine practice. It noted that the audio had subsequently become linked to the narrative surrounding an alleged loan and questioned why she considered it important enough to forward to the SSP.

Lawyer Jibran Nasir told the commission that screenshots of the conversation involving Ali Shaz’s audio had also circulated on social media.

ASP Nida said Ali Shaz had sent only a voice note. When the commission asked whether she had also forwarded the screenshots, she replied that she did not remember. The commission questioned the response and said it raised further concerns.

The commission told ASP Nida that her professional career was at stake and questioned her closely about her involvement in the case. It asked whether, based on her observations, she considered the incident a murder or a suicide.

ASP Nida replied that the investigation was still ongoing and that the case was not hers. The commission questioned her response, observing that she appeared to remember only certain aspects of the matter.

The commission also asked whether she had ever contacted a person named Sarim and whether she was aware of messages allegedly sent by Mir Raza to Sarim concerning Rs300 million. ASP Nida said she did not know how the screenshots had appeared in the media.

The commission then asked whether the investigation team led by SSP Samiullah Soomro was examining the case as a suicide or a murder.

ASP Nida said that, to the best of her knowledge, the team had not reached a conclusion at that stage. She said the case was subsequently transferred to another team and that the initial team had been collecting evidence.

The commission observed that this meant the team had not, until that point, declared the incident a suicide.

The proceedings also focused on ASP Nida’s meeting with Mir Raza’s fiancée, which she said she attended alongside Arshad Afridi. ASP Nida explained that she had gone to provide assistance because she was a woman.

The commission questioned her about an individual named Amberin and asked who she was. ASP Nida said SSP Samiullah Soomro had provided her with three names.

One was Shiza, along with a number that belonged to Mir Raza’s mother; another was Maryam, whose listed number belonged to a man; and the third name was Amberin.

The commission subsequently questioned Mir Raza’s mother about why Amberin had attracted her attention when other names were also available.

Mir Raza’s mother responded that her official number had been assigned at a bank under the name Shiza.

During the proceedings, Jibran Nasir also pointed out that Arshad Afridi was not part of the investigation team.