Sidharth Malhotra supports Kiara amid Toxic criticism

The investigation into the death of 25-year-old businessman Mir Raza Ali has taken a new turn after police added a murder charge to the case and reconstituted the team handling the probe. Ali’s body was discovered in bushes in Karachi’s Gulistan-i-Jauhar on July 29, a day after he was reported missing. His family has maintained from the outset that he was abducted, subjected to torture and killed, while the initial police investigation had considered the possibility of suicide. The latest development came after a second post-mortem examination produced findings that differed from the initial medical report. According to an order issued by the Sindh Inspector General of Police’s office, the investigation team has been reorganised following the findings of the second autopsy. The first information report (FIR), initially registered under Section 365 of the Pakistan Penal Code for kidnapping, now also includes Sections 302 and 201. Section 302 deals with murder, while Section 201 relates to causing evidence of an offence to disappear or providing false information to protect an offender. A five-member team has now been assigned responsibility for the investigation. It is headed by Sindh Deputy Inspector General (Crime and Investigation) Amir Farooqui and includes senior police officers from different investigative units. The new team has been directed to conduct a thorough and impartial investigation and examine the case from every relevant angle. Police have also been instructed to identify, secure and analyse any new evidence, including physical, forensic, technical and circumstantial material. The team has been asked to make every effort to determine what happened to Ali and submit its findings to the relevant court within the required timeframe. Investigators will also provide daily updates on the progress of the case. The development follows demands from Ali’s family for a change in the investigation. Family lawyer Jibran Nasir had called for the original probe to be replaced after the businessman’s body was exhumed for a second post-mortem examination. According to the family’s legal representative, the fresh examination found evidence indicating that Ali had been shot in the back. He argued that the finding contradicted the earlier possibility of suicide and supported the family’s allegation that Ali had been murdered. Nasir has further alleged that Ali was tortured before his death, describing him as a young and ambitious businessman whose death had left his family seeking answers. The lawyer has also criticised the handling of the case by senior police officials, claiming that the family faced harassment and pressure instead of receiving a satisfactory investigation.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Salman Akram Raja has said he had no authority to remove Mashal Yousafzai from the Senate. He said he chose to overlook the matter to prevent divisions within the party. Speaking to the media outside the Supreme Court in Islamabad, Raja said Mashal Yousafzai was not acting alone and had a group supporting her. He said the facts would eventually come before everyone. He added that he would not further fuel an issue that had already been given unnecessary attention in the past. Raja also said he did not know who had made Mashal Yousafzai a senator. Speaking to journalists at the Adiala Jail factory checkpoint in Rawalpindi, Raja said that allegations should be backed by evidence. He said false allegations remained false regardless of who made them. He said he had been practising law and continued to do so. He described some of the statements made against him as completely baseless. Raja said such allegations would have to be answered. He added that the party would take action over the matter. Comments on political developments Speaking about the political situation, Raja said September 27 was not a distant date. He said political activity was continuing on a daily basis. He said time passes quickly and described September 27 as an important date. Raja also said that a revolution could not be brought about by a single political party. He said it required the participation of the entire nation. On negotiations with the government, he said there was currently no formal offer from the government. However, Raja said PTI had not rejected negotiations on principle at any level. He described reports of an alliance with the Pakistan Peoples Party as premature. He said two parties could have similar positions on a particular issue without forming an alliance. PTI denies link with terrorism Raja strongly rejected any alleged connection between PTI and terrorism. He said PTI had never had any association with terrorism. Referring to the person killed in Rawalpindi, he said the party did not know which group the man belonged to or what activities he had been involved in. Raja described PTI as a peaceful political party. He said the party opposed terrorism and had never been part of any violent activity. He maintained that PTI was continuing its political struggle within the framework of the Constitution and the law.

The Supreme Court of Pakistan has ruled that all appeals and bail petitions filed under the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) law will now be heard by the Federal Constitutional Court. The judgment clarifies that the Supreme Court no longer has jurisdiction over these matters following amendments made to the accountability law earlier this year. In its detailed written verdict, the court stated that the legal amendments introduced to the NAB law have transferred the authority to hear appeals and bail applications from the Supreme Court to the Federal Constitutional Court. The judges observed that Sections 32 and 32A of the amended NAB law do not empower the Supreme Court to hear such cases. The ruling further states that all pending NAB appeals and bail petitions currently before the Supreme Court will automatically be treated as transferred to the Federal Constitutional Court under the relevant constitutional provisions. This means future proceedings in accountability cases will be conducted by the newly established constitutional forum. The decision also has significant implications for the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), who had challenged a High Court decision regarding his bail before the Supreme Court. His petition had earlier been returned by the Supreme Court Registrar after procedural objections were raised. Following the latest judgment, his bail application will now be heard by the Federal Constitutional Court. The question of jurisdiction emerged during proceedings in another pending NAB case before the Supreme Court. During the hearing, the bench examined whether the court could continue hearing accountability matters after the recent amendments to the NAB law. The amendments, enacted on March 5, 2026, reassigned the authority to hear NAB appeals and bail petitions to the Federal Constitutional Court through Section 32A of the amended law. The changes were introduced as part of broader judicial and constitutional reforms. The case was heard by a three-member bench headed by Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, with Justice Musarrat Hilali and Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan as members of the bench. During the proceedings, the petitioner’s counsel argued that the Supreme Court should retain the power to hear bail applications in NAB cases. He referred to an earlier post-amendment decision in which the Supreme Court had granted bail in an accountability matter. Attorney General Mansoor Usman Awan, representing the federal government, argued that all NAB appeals and bail petitions should now be heard exclusively by the Federal Constitutional Court. He maintained that different stages of the same case could not be heard simultaneously by two separate courts, as this would create legal complications and procedural inconsistencies.