FIA foils attempt by SSP Rao Anwar to escape from Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: A case was registered against suspended Malir SSP Rao Anwar on Tuesday over the extrajudicial killing of Waziristan native Naqeebullah Mehsud.

Rao Anwar is wanted in an inquiry into the extrajudicial murder of Naqeebullah Mehsud, a 27-year-old native of Waziristan who was among the four suspected terrorists killed in an ‘exchange of fire’ with a police team on January 13 in Shah Latif Town, Karachi. The suspended police officer's name was earlier placed on the Exit Control List (ECL) on the orders of the Supreme Court after it took notice of his reported attempt to leave the country.

Rao Anwar’s attempt to flee the country was foiled by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) officials when he was trying to sneak out from the Islamabad Airport. Instead of surrendering to the police in Karachi and defending himself in the court of law, apparently Rao Anwar tried to flee the country to avoid arrest.

After evading arrest in Karachi, Rao Anwar in a surprise move managed to sneak out of Karachi and reached Islamabad. He managed to get an ‘electronic visa’ for Dubai and also faked a letter from the office of the chief secretary of Sindh Rizwan Memon, granting him seven-day leave as well as allowing him to travel abroad.

The letter from the office of the chief secretary Sindh, carrying the name of the Chief Secretary Rizwan Memon stated: “Mr Anwar Ahmed Khan, an officer of Provincial Police BS-18, Senior Superintendent of Police, district Malir, Karachi, is hereby granted seven (07) days leave ex-Pakistan, to visit UAE on private affairs with effect from 21-01-2018 subject to title and with the condition that his name does not exist on the exit control list and that he is not required by any court of law.”

But he made a mistake when he presented this letter at the immigration counter, which looked official but was not signed or stamped by the chief secretary. However, underneath it was signed by Section Officer Khadim Hussain.

Taimur, the FIA official at the immigration counter at the airport, was dutiful indeed to note the discrepancy that instead of this NOC (no objection certificate) being issued by the Home Department of Sindh was issued directly by the chief secretary. Secondly, it was not signed by the chief secretary, but carried the signatures of a section officer only. Counter Officer Taimur immediately alerted his immediate supervisor, Assistant Director Dr Wajid, who brought the matter to the notice of the Director FIA Shakeel Durrani, who instantly ordered to stop him from leaving the country.

The FIA officials retrieved the ‘boarding pass’ from Rao Anwar and took him to their office from where Rao Anwar managed to walk away instead of being arrested. When the FIA officials were contacted to know as to why Rao Anwar was not arrested or detained, the FIA sources said that till the time he made this attempt to flee the country, neither his name was put on the ECL nor there was a case registered against him and his arrest warrants were not issued.

“In these circumstances, it was not legal to arrest or detain him, who till that time was still an officer of the Sindh Police,” the FIA sources said. “The best we could do amidst the circumstances to prevent him leaving the country was to deny him boarding the flight on the basis of presenting a ‘suspicious official letter’ and that is what we did,” the FIA sources said.