Mir Raza commission rejects MLO Dr Osama's request to record another statement

A judicial commission probing the circumstances surrounding the death of businessman Mir Raza Ali on Monday rejected a request by Dr Osama Shaikh, the medico-legal officer who conducted the first autopsy, to record another statement.

Sindh High Court Justice Omar Sial, who is heading the one-member commission, rejected the request during the latest hearing.

In its order, the commission noted that Dr Shaikh had “appeared on social media” and indicated that he had “more to tell the commission than what he told it earlier”.

The judge said that Dr Shaikh was asked whether he wanted to establish that Mir Raza had died by suicide rather than being murdered. According to the order, the doctor clarified that this was not his position.

The findings of the first autopsy have remained a disputed issue in the case. Karachi Police Surgeon Dr Summaiyya Syed had earlier pointed out flaws in the initial post-mortem report.

Justice Sial said in Monday’s order that he believed Dr Shaikh’s request was aimed at attacking the police surgeon and the chief minister rather than providing information relevant to the commission’s inquiry.

“I also sense from the questions I asked of him that his sole purpose in recording a further statement is to throw mud at the police surgeon and the worthy chief minister. I will not allow either. The Commission is not a forum for mud-slinging,” the judge observed.

The commission’s terms of reference require it to establish the facts and circumstances surrounding Ali’s death and determine whether negligence was involved.

Justice Sial said the commission already had enough information to carry out its mandate and would independently assess the evidence before it.