The judicial commission constituted by the Sindh High Court (SHC) to investigate the death of young entrepreneur Mir Raza Ali on Monday recorded the statement of his friend and schoolmate Muhammad Haitham during its fourth hearing.
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The proceedings, chaired by Justice Omar Sial, were attended by Mir Raza’s family members, Ferozabad SHO Adeel Afzal and Raza’s friends Muhammad Haitham and Raziq.
The commission summoned Haitham for questioning regarding his relationship with Mir Raza and the events surrounding his disappearance.
Haitham told the commission that he works at a software house, which is his source of income. He said he had been Raza’s classmate and that they had remained friends.
According to Haitham, his last in-person meeting with Raza took place at Pedal Court at around 3am on July 27. He said their final video call was held at approximately 1am on July 28.
Haitham said he learned about Raza’s disappearance after receiving a call from Raza’s fiancée, Silva, who was concerned about his whereabouts.
He subsequently contacted Raziq, who told him that Raza had dropped him at his office.
Haitham then called Raza’s mother and asked her to check whether Raza was at home. A few minutes later, she informed him that Raza was not in his room while his car was still parked at the residence.
Haitham said he again contacted Raziq and informed him that Raza could not be located. They subsequently searched for him at several locations.
During questioning, the commission asked Haitham whether he had entered Raza’s room after the family began searching for him.
Haitham denied entering the room. He also said he did not search Raza’s car and could not explain why his name had been mentioned in connection with the search. He maintained that he was outside the house at the time.
Haitham further told the commission that, on the second day of Raza’s funeral prayers, he informed Raza’s father that Raziq had asked for a memorial memento. He also said his friend Hamza had provided him with Mir Raza’s call detail records (CDRs).
During the hearing, Haitham told the commission that he had invested Rs50,000 in Raza’s business around a year earlier. However, he said he did not know the identities of the other business partners or who else had invested in the venture.
Haitham also said he asked Raza’s sister on the day of the funeral prayers to return a rented vehicle.
Haitham told the commission that Ferozabad police had summoned both him and Raziq during the investigation. According to Haitham, an investigating officer instructed them to stay away from protests and from Mir Raza’s family.
The commission questioned whether police had formally recorded his statement and asked Haitham to explain how the statement had been taken.
Haitham said a police officer questioned him while typing his responses. He added that a newly formed investigation team summoned him again on August 16.
Justice Umar Sial then pointed out a significant difference between Haitham’s statement recorded by police and his testimony before the judicial commission.
Haitham responded that he had simply answered the questions asked by police officials.
Mir Raza’s family lawyer, Jibran Nasir, asked Haitham whether police had questioned him about Raza’s mental state.
Haitham replied that police had asked questions suggesting they were trying to determine whether Raza’s case involved suicide or murder.
The questioning concluded after Haitham completed his statement before the commission.
The judicial commission is continuing to examine witness statements, police records, financial matters and other evidence to establish the circumstances surrounding Mir Raza Ali’s disappearance and death.
Last week, the judicial commission investigating the death of Mir Raza also recorded the statement of online taxi driver Ehsanullah, who described his final journey with the deceased.
Before giving his account, the driver told the commission that he had subsequently lost his accommodation and work-related arrangements because of the case and is currently staying at a police station.
