[5][6][7] Upon hearing the execution news, his family began pleading his case, where his wife and sisters held multiple press conferences, demanding a re-investigation.
[2] After releasing a confession video to multiple private news channels, where he leveled charges of murder involvement of Altaf Hussain, Mirza's execution was ultimately halted on presidential orders and an active investigation against MQM was launched by the Pakistan government.
[13] After matriculating from a local school, Mirza initially enrolled for pre-medical degree but instead ended up getting intermediate diploma in Commerce from Pakistan Shipowners College.
[12] Mirza largely remained unknown and was not a known figure in the MQM until 1995 when his close friend Faheem Farooqi got arrested in 1995 and described him as his right-hand man.
[14] At one time, Mirza was a major figure in the militant wing of the MQM as per Pakistani agencies allegations, running several death cells.
[16][18] A day later, on 11 December 1998, Mirza was arrested from the Jinnah Terminal in a sting operation led by CID officer Aslam Khan and was described as a "prize catch.
"[15][16] During his arrest, Mirza confessed that he was involved in a number of murders of innocent people, including several high-profile personalities, in the presence of DIG Sindh Police Ameen Qureshi.
[20] In May 1999, the Anti-Terrorist Court awarded him a death sentence for the triple-murder case of MD of Karachi Electric Supply Corporation Shahid Hamid, his driver Ashraf Brohi and guard Akbar Khan.
In April 2014, he was transferred to supermax facility, the Central Jail Macch in Balochistan, and was placed in the Death Cell after his mercy plea was rejected by Sindh High Court and President of Pakistan Mamnoon Hussain.