Mir Raza case: Court extends business partner’s interim bail

KARACHI: The Karachi City Court on Monday extended the interim bail of Muhammad Ahmed, a business partner of deceased businessman Mir Raza, until September 1 in the murder case.

During the hearing, Ahmed’s counsel, Advocate Khalid Mumtaz, told the court that his client had sought bail because he was Mir Raza’s business partner.

“A business partner can easily become a target and be implicated in a case,” the lawyer said, alleging that police had repeatedly summoned Ahmed to the police station and harassed him.

However, lawyer Jibran Nasir, representing the police’s position, said Ahmed had been summoned for investigation and not for arrest. He argued that Ahmed had frequently been with Mir Raza and that it was important to include him in the investigation.

Nasir said the police wanted to record Ahmed’s statement and maintained that there were no grounds for granting him bail in the case.

The court questioned the investigating officer about the status of the investigation, asking whether it had been completed.

The investigating officer replied that the investigation was still ongoing.

The court then asked whether Muhammad Ahmed had been nominated as an accused in the case. The investigating officer clarified that Ahmed had not been nominated as an accused.

When the court further asked whether Ahmed’s name appeared in any report or the charge sheet, the investigating officer said that his name did not appear in any report and that the charge sheet had not yet been prepared.

The court subsequently extended Ahmed’s interim bail until September 1 and directed him to cooperate with the police and join the investigation by appearing at the police station.

The court also directed Ahmed not to leave the city until the next hearing.