The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Wednesday dismissed a plea seeking the formation of a joint investigation team (JIT) to probe Mir Raza Ali's murder. A two-member SHC bench, headed by Justice Adnanul Karim and comprising Justice Muhammad Jaffer Raza, announced its verdict today, which it had reserved on Monday, on the plea filed by Ali's family.
Ali, an IBA graduate and businessman, was found dead in Karachi's Gulistan-e-Jauhar a day after he went missing on July 28. His father has consistently maintained that his son was murdered and has rejected suggestions that the death was a case of suicide.
In its seven-page written order, the SHC stated: "We are extremely mindful of the agonising loss experienced by them; however, we cannot allow our empathetic impulses to supersede the established mandate of the law. Consequently, this petition is disposed of."
The court noted that the investigating officer had assured it that every possible effort would be made to complete the investigation in accordance with the law, and added that the officer may seek assistance from other agencies if required. The SHC directed that the inquiry be completed in an impartial, fair and expeditious manner.
The late businessman's family had moved the SHC last month against the inquiry panel's formation, arguing that its constitution at this stage would negatively impact the case. The development followed the SHC chief justice's constitution of a judicial commission, headed by Justice Omar Sial, on the Sindh government's request.