Mir Raza case: Judicial commission records police surgeon’s testimony, receives forensic reports

KARACHI: A judicial commission probing the killing of Mir Raza Ali on Tuesday recorded the testimony of Karachi Police Surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed Tariq, who presented details of the post-mortem procedure and her communications with the medico-legal officer (MLO) who conducted the young businessman’s autopsy.

The commission also received additional investigation documents, including Raza’s post-mortem report, forensic reports of his mobile phone and smartwatch, and copies of further statements recorded by witnesses.

The proceedings, however, were marked by a dispute between the judicial commission and the Sindh advocate general after he objected to questions put to the police surgeon by Jibran Nasir, the lawyer representing Raza’s family.

The commission described the advocate general’s intervention as interference, while the law officer said that he was assisting the proceedings. Justice Omar Sial questioned his interest in objecting to the family lawyer’s questions.

The commission later adjourned further proceedings until Sept 10.

Police surgeon details post-mortem procedure

Dr Summaiya, who has served as Karachi’s police surgeon since June 10, 2022, told the commission that she had been conducting post-mortems since 1999 and had carried out around 1,000 post-mortems.

She said she had also conducted 99 exhumations in Karachi and Thatta.

She said that dead bodies were brought to the hospital by relatives, police or ambulances and that a medico-legal certificate was issued in each case. Police were informed if they were not present when a body arrived.

She said that under the applicable procedure, photographs of a body must be taken during a post-mortem, she said, adding that the body’s condition before the examination and the extent of decomposition were also documented.

Doctors examine injuries from head to toe and take photographs to substantiate their observations, Dr Summaiya said.

They also determine whether injuries were sustained before or after death and assess possible sexual assault or fractures, she said.

The post-mortem process also seeks to establish the approximate interval between death and examination, while a final report is issued after chemical examination, she said.

For unidentified bodies, DNA samples can be collected for identification, while fingerprints, facial recognition and biometric verification can also be used, she added.

Dr Summaiya said the medico-legal process was governed by the Sindh Medico-Legal Act 2023 and that post-mortems were conducted under Section 174 of the relevant legal procedure.

Dispute over Mir Raza autopsy

During the hearing, Dr Summaiya said that she had repeatedly sought information from Dr Osama, the MLO who conducted Mir Raza’s post-mortem.

She told the commission that she had spoken to Dr Osama on July 29 at 5:46pm after being informed that a body, reportedly two days old, had arrived from Gulistan-e-Jauhar.

She said that she asked about the deceased’s identification, medical history and gunshot wounds. Dr Osama subsequently sent photographs of the post-mortem register in several parts, she said.

On July 30, she asked about the bullet’s exit wound and requested photographs and the post-mortem report, according to her testimony.

Dr Summaiya also presented screenshots of her communications with Dr Osama to the commission. The commission directed her to provide the screenshots as part of the record.

The police surgeon rejected a statement attributed to Dr Osama that a sweeper had assisted with the post-mortem, saying the person present was actually a laboratory assistant, Shoaib Rashid, who had received training for the procedure.

She said that medico-legal officers were provided training and protocols but that many doctors did not show sufficient interest in the work.

There are 42 medico-legal officers, she said, adding that the problem was not a shortage of manpower but a lack of interest among doctors.

Dr Summaiya said that she personally supervised high-profile or suspicious cases and participated in difficult post-mortems where necessary.

 Jinnah Hospital conducts around 15 to 18 post-mortems a day, making it impossible for her to personally attend every case, she added.

Family allowed to remain during evidence presentation

When the commission resumed proceedings after a brief break, it asked Raza’s family members to leave the room because photographs being displayed on a projector could be distressing.

Raza’s sister, Alishbah, said that the family wanted to remain present during the proceedings.

Dr Summaiya subsequently began presenting material relating to her communications with Dr Osama using a projector.

Family lawyer Jibran Nasir argued that questions concerning the performance of the MLO were relevant to the proceedings.

The Sindh advocate general objected to the questions, saying they should be asked by the commission rather than the family lawyer.

The commission rejected the objection and questioned why the provincial government had an issue with the family asking questions.

Investigation records submitted

Separately, the investigating officer submitted additional documents to the commission, including Mir Raza’s post-mortem report and forensic reports concerning his smartwatch, mobile phone and other belongings.

Copies of additional statements recorded under Section 161 of the Criminal Procedure Code were also submitted.

Investigators also said the Punjab Forensic Science Agency had been unable to unlock Raza’s iPhone.

According to investigators, the forensic laboratory had formally informed the investigation team of its inability to access the device. Raza’s phone and Apple Watch were to be returned to the investigation team.

Some screenshots and messages were recovered from the Apple Watch, but investigators said the material was not considered significant to the case.

Commission adjourns proceedings

The proceedings were temporarily disrupted after the advocate general objected to the family lawyer’s questioning. The commission expressed strong displeasure over what it termed interference in the proceedings.

The commission also sought to summon Sindh Home Minister Zia Lanjar over the matter, according to proceedings.

Family lawyer Jibran Nasir later told the media that he had apologised for intervening during the hearing and said the questions he had raised were those of Raza’s family.

Nasir said that the family was seeking facts about the case and argued that the commission had been established partly to address the family’s concerns.

He said the proceedings had not been terminated permanently and that the hearing had only been adjourned for the day.

The commission has now scheduled further proceedings for September 10.