KARACHI: Watchman Muhammad Riaz told a commission investigating the Mir Raza Ali case he saw two white cars and a motorcycle near where authorities found Ali’s body in Gulistan-i-Jauhar, Sindh.
Riaz described vehicles he had not seen in the neighbourhood before. His testimony covered their size, movements and a man’s complaint about driving up a steep incline.
Two investigative journalists separately questioned how Ali’s mobile phone was handled. They told the commission investigators might have resolved the case earlier if they had properly retrieved evidence from the device.
Riaz lives near the incident location and works as a watchman at a nearby house. He told the commission he was smoking on a rooftop between about 3:24 am and 3:28 am that night.
One car was small; the other was larger. When he looked again, someone appeared to be trying to drive a vehicle up the incline.
Justice Omar Sial asked whether Riaz had seen anyone at the scene. Riaz described a man who used abusive language and complained that the car could not go up. He said a motorcycle passed through the area around the same time.
Lawyer Jibran Nasir asked Riaz whether police had visited his residence. Riaz replied that he had heard officers came to the house and questioned his children.
Read: Mir Raza Ali Inquiry Summons Friends, Partners, Police Officers
Nasir told the commission police had received details of a vehicle he described as suspicious. He said it reportedly carried registration in the name of a person identified only as Tariq.
During their briefing, the journalists said an incorrect password entry had locked Ali’s phone. They argued that investigators could potentially have recovered important evidence, including his final messages to his parents.
Ali’s body bore a gunshot wound when authorities found it in July, a day after the missing-person report. The commission is examining the circumstances of his death and how investigators handled the case.
Cabinet members heard that the commission had recorded numerous witness statements but needed more time to complete its findings.
The Sindh cabinet has extended the commission’s term until October 15. It authorised Sial to continue beyond that date if required.
(With additional input from ARY News and Dawn)
