Rao Anwar booked in terrorism case over Naqeeb Mehsud’s murder

Police on Tuesday registered a murder case against Rao Anwar and his team under terrorism charges for killing a young man in an alleged encounter in Shah Latif Town on January 13.

Naseemullah, alias Naqeeb Mehsud, was shot dead along with three other men by the then District Malir SSP Anwar and his team. The police officials have maintained that all the four men were terrorists.

FIR No 40/18 under sections 365, 344, 302, 109 and 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code and Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act was registered at the Sachal Goth police station on the complaint of Naseemullah’s father Muhammad Khan against Anwar and his team.

The father said in his complaint that Naseemullah was picked up by eight to nine plain-clothes men of Anwar’s team with two others, namely Hazrat Ali and Muhammad Qasim, on January 3, but Ali and Qasim were released three days later.

He said Anwar kept his son in captivity and also switched off his mobile phone, adding that his relatives phoned him on January 17 and told him that his son was killed along with three others on January 13.

The father said Naseemullah’s killing in a fake encounter had caused fear and chaos so he requested that Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act be inserted in the FIR. The investigation of the case has been assigned to Investigation-II SP Abid Qaimkhani.

Earlier in the day, Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) Sindh chief Addl IGP Dr Sanaullah Abbasi had visited Sohrab Goth to meet the elders of the Mehsud tribe who had gathered to hold a consultation to chalk out future strategy regarding Naseemullah’s killing in an alleged encounter.

During the meeting the tribesmen demanded registration of a case against the killing and stressed that Anwar and his team members be nominated in the FIR. Abbasi, who is also heading the investigation committee formed by Sindh police chief IGP AD Khowaja, assured them that a case would be registered on their complaint and that they would receive a copy of the FIR as well. He said the IGP’s committee, which included East DIGP Sultan Ali Khawaja and South DIGP Azad Khan as members, had proven within 14 hours that the January 13 encounter was staged.

The CTD chief said the entire country would see Naseemullah’s heirs get justice, adding that he was answerable to God, the media and the whole nation. He observed that some bad police officers had defamed the ongoing operation against criminals in Karachi, saying that time would prove that Naseemullah was shot dead in a staged encounter.

Focal person appointed

In view of the sensitivity of the case, IGP Khowaja has appointed the East DIG as the focal person. A spokesman for the Sindh police said Khowaja had directed his subordinates not to share any details with the media despite prior permission from the Central Police Office (CPO).

The letter was moved by DIG Headquarters, CPO Sindh, on the instructions of the provincial police chief. The order reads: “I am directed to convey that DIG East Sultan Khawaja has been nominated as focal person to talk and give the police department’s opinion on media regarding various aspects and developments related to killing of Naseemullah.

“I am further directed that no other person is authorised to speak to the media related to this case without the prior permission of the CPO. The DIG East is requested to apprise the media of various developments of the case whenever approached and whenever deemed fit.”

IGP Khowaja had issued another order to his subordinates directing them to immediately remove their as well as his pictures from public places. The letter reads: “It has been observed that pictures of police officers of all ranks have been placed on boards of various sizes at public places, and such advertisements are unwarranted.

“It is, therefore, ordered to immediately remove such pictures of individual police officers, including pictures of IG Sindh (if any), and they should be replaced with pictures depicting institutional memories. However, photographs of shaheed [martyred] police officers are exempted. This must be implemented in letter and spirit.”

KBA demands action

In a general body meeting of the Karachi Bar Association (KBA), lawyers condemned the killing of Naseemullah. They also passed a resolution against Anwar, terming him a “killer” of Naseemullah and others.

The lawyers claimed that the Sindh government and a certain political party had been backing Anwar, who they said was involved in “fake police encounters killing innocent people”.

The general body meeting demanded of the government to hold fresh inquiries against all police encounters conducted by Anwar. The meeting also demanded confiscating the moveable and immovable properties of the officer so the victims’ families could be compensated.

The meeting was attended by the office-bearers and members of the KBA and the Malir Bar Association as well as many elders of the Mehsud tribe.

The meeting also condemned the government over its failure to hold impartial inquiries into the May 12 and April 9 incidents, in both of which several lawyers were killed. The meeting demanded holding inquires so the people responsible could be brought to book.