Mir Raza judicial commission proceedings adjourned till Oct 2 upon term expiry

The judicial commission probing the murder of Mir Raza adjourned its proceedings until October 2 as its existing term expired and the Sindh government is yet to decide on a proposed extension. The Sindh Home Department on August 24 notified the formation of a judicial commission to probe the death of 25-year-old Mir Raza Ali, with Justice Omar Sial appointed as its head following his nomination by the Sindh High Court (SHC) chief justice through a letter dated the same day. The first hearing of the commission took place on September 1. A written order issued by the commission, headed by Justice Sial, said its term had expired on Monday. The commission had requested the Sindh government to extend its tenure until October 15. Read: Mir Raza commission rejects family's plea to summon top cops In response, the provincial government’s focal person Javed Ahmed Abro informed the commission that the summary seeking an extension had been approved by the chief minister and was forwarded to the Sindh Cabinet for a decision. The commission was also told that the cabinet is expected to meet on October 1. “It will be therefore appropriate to adjourn today’s (September 28) proceedings to October 2, 2026 at 10am,” the written order seen by The Express Tribune stated. The order further outlined that if the Sindh Cabinet did not approve an extension, no further witnesses would be summoned and the commission would prepare and submit its report “shortly thereafter” on the basis of statements recorded so far. If the tenure is extended, fresh notices will be issued to witnesses, the order added. The commission will also send questionnaires to three senior police officers as part of the proceedings. It is worth noting that during Monday’s hearing of the judicial commission, Investigation Officer DSP Siraj Lashari and a representative of the Citizens-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) appeared before the commission to record their statements. However, neither of their statements was recorded as the commission’s term had expired on September 24. Two days earlier, the commission had rejected a request by Raza's family to summon senior police officers in person, directing them instead to submit their questions in writing. A day before that, on September 25, Advocate Jibran Nasir, counsel for the family of Mir Raza, alleged that police had failed to properly investigate the case and were instead attempting to establish the death as a suicide.