KARACHI: Lawyer Mohammad Jibran Nasir has written to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah, raising serious concerns over the investigation into the death of Mir Raza Ali Khan and seeking their direct supervision of the case.
Nasir, who represents the deceased’s parents, alleged that the investigation had failed to make meaningful progress and continued to revolve around what he described as old and inadequate theories.
The letter was also sent to the Sindh police inspector general, DIG Crime and Investigation Sindh and the head of the investigation team formed in connection with FIR No. 795/2026 registered at Ferozabad Police Station.
Nasir has sought direct supervision of the ongoing investigation, a criminal investigation into alleged lapses and misconduct, and departmental and disciplinary proceedings against nine senior police officers.
He has also called for the interim suspension or removal of the officers from sensitive posts until the investigation is completed.
According to the letter, the family believes the new investigation team has failed to uncover new facts and has instead focused on maintaining the earlier narrative that Mir Raza Ali Khan died by suicide.
The lawyer alleged that necessary action had also not been taken against senior police officers whose conduct, according to the family, required scrutiny.
The letter names several officers in connection with the alleged lapses, including DIG East Karachi Farrukh Lanjar, SSP CIA/SIU Muhammad Soomro, SSP East Karachi Zubair Nazir Sheikh, SP East Karachi, SSP CSU Asif Ali Jakhrani, SHO Ferozabad Adeel Afzal and SIO Ferozabad Shahber Leghari.
Nasir has called for nine senior officers to be removed from their current sensitive postings until the investigation is completed.
The lawyer has raised 14 questions concerning the investigation and handling of the case, while also detailing the family’s account of events following Mir Raza’s disappearance and the discovery of his body.
Nasir has asked the prime minister and chief minister to directly supervise the investigation and obtain regular updates from the current investigation team.
He has also called for the present team to investigate the conduct of the previous investigation team and other officers.
A parallel departmental inquiry has also been sought against officers whose conduct has been questioned, with the letter asking authorities to determine their responsibility and take appropriate action.
The lawyer further argued that the continued presence of the officers concerned in their current positions could create risks of witness and evidence tampering and allow them to use their positions to shield themselves from accountability.
Family had to pursue leads after FIR
According to the letter, FIR No. 795/2026 under Section 365 of the Pakistan Penal Code was registered at Ferozabad Police Station on July 28 at 3:15pm after Mir Raza Ali Khan failed to return home for several hours.
The family claimed that they had approached Ferozabad police between 6am and 7am on the same day to register the FIR but were allegedly sent back by the duty officer, who told them that 24 hours had to pass before the matter could be treated as a criminal offence.
The family subsequently made several calls and used personal contacts before the FIR was eventually registered later in the day, according to the letter.
Nasir said that despite registration of the FIR, police did not approach the family to assist in tracing Mir Raza.
The letter says the family then undertook its own efforts, going from house to house and shop to shop in the surrounding area to check CCTV cameras and establish where Mir Raza had gone and with whom.
The family also traced the vehicle in which Mir Raza had left and identified it as belonging to the cab-hailing service Bykea. They then traced the driver through the service and followed the vehicle’s route.
According to the letter, these efforts led the family to the vicinity of University Club on July 29, where Mir Raza’s body was found within a few hundred metres of the spot behind Masjid-e-Khizra in Gulistan-e-Johar Block 1.
Letter questions response time after body was found
Nasir has also detailed the timeline following the discovery of Mir Raza’s body, raising questions over the response of police and other agencies.
According to the letter, the body was discovered at around 11:52am by a worker at a nursery.
A police officer arrived at approximately 12:25pm, followed by a police mobile at 12:41pm and an Edhi ambulance at 12:50pm.
The body was subsequently shifted to Jinnah Hospital at around 1:46pm, according to the letter.
Nasir has also alleged that Crime Scene Unit personnel did not reach the site in a timely manner, raising concerns over the preservation and collection of evidence.
The lawyer has argued that these and other alleged lapses require independent scrutiny rather than being treated as routine investigative shortcomings.
Call for JIT if current probe fails
Nasir has warned that if the current investigation team fails to identify and arrest those responsible for Mir Raza’s death, the family would be compelled to seek assistance from other law enforcement agencies.
The letter also called for the constitution of a Joint Investigation Team if the present investigation does not produce credible results.
It argued that the alleged shortcomings had exposed weaknesses in the police response to a case involving digital evidence and multiple avenues for tracing suspects and criminal activity.
Nasir has therefore requested the Sindh government to directly supervise the investigation, ensure accountability for alleged investigative failures and take steps to prevent any further compromise of evidence or witnesses.
The lawyer’s letter comes 21 days after the discovery of Mir Raza’s body, with the family maintaining that the investigation has yet to satisfactorily establish the circumstances surrounding his death.
