Mir Raza Ali Case: Sindh forms JIT and committees to implement judicial commission’s recommendations

The Sindh government has formed a joint investigation team (JIT) and two additional investigative committees to probe the killing of Mir Raza Ali, beginning implementation of recommendations made by a judicial commission.

The JIT will be headed by Deputy Inspector General of Police Irfan Baloch and will include senior representatives from the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Intelligence Bureau (IB), Pakistan Rangers Sindh and the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA).

The provincial government has written to the relevant institutions, requesting that they nominate officers to serve on the team.

Separately, the government has proposed another committee led by a Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) officer of grade 20 or above to conduct further investigations in line with the judicial commission’s recommendations. The Sindh government has approached the federal Interior Ministry to request the nomination of a senior FIA officer.

The proposed committee will also include DIG Irfan Ali Baloch and DIG Naeem Ahmed Sheikh.

The government has additionally established a one-member inquiry committee headed by Additional Inspector General of the Counter-Terrorism Department Zulfiqar Ali Larak. The committee will examine the conduct of police officers and personnel named in the judicial commission’s report, with DIG West Irfan Ali Baloch assisting in the inquiry.

Shehbaz Sharif launches plan to equip students with 500,000 Chromebooks devices

According to an official notification, the committee will assess the competence and performance of the officers and personnel identified in the report and review the overall performance of the police.

It will also investigate Inspector Ghaus’s role in the burning of the crime scene. The committee is required to submit a report containing its findings and recommendations to the Sindh inspector general of police.

The Sindh Home Department has separately written to the provincial police chief regarding action against officers and personnel named in the judicial commission’s report. The commission’s observations and the recommendations of a provincial cabinet subcommittee have also been forwarded to the police chief.

The Home Department has also contacted the provincial health secretary in light of the commission’s findings.

Meanwhile, the cabinet subcommittee has recommended removing Dr Usama Sheikh, who conducted Mir Raza Ali’s initial postmortem examination, from his position and sending him for two years of training.

The steps mark the provincial government’s move to act on the judicial commission’s recommendations, with investigations focusing on the circumstances surrounding the killing, police conduct and the handling of the initial postmortem.