Rao Anwar requests SC to unfreeze bank accounts

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Wednesday revealed that it had received another letter from Rao Anwar, the absconding police officer in the Naqeebullah Mehsud murder case.

Rao, in the letter, has requested the court to unfreeze his bank accounts which were seized earlier on the court orders. A three-member bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar, has taken a suo motu notice of the case. On February 13, the court had revealed Rao's first letter claiming innocence and seeking an impartial inquiry.

During Wednesday's hearing, the bench noted that it was yet to be confirmed if the second letter was indeed from the suspended SSP. However, it was made part of the court record. "Isn't Rao Anwar being protected by political powers," Justice Nisar inquired, to which Inspector General of Police (IGP), Sindh, AD Khawaja said he, as a responsible officer, could not confirm that.

Justice Umar Ata Bandial noted that it was evident that someone was providing protection to all of the accused in the case. In response to the chief justice's query about the cooperation of intelligence agencies with the police, Khawaja responded in the affirmative. "Both the Military Intelligence (MI) and the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) are cooperating with the Sindh police," he said, adding that the case's charge-sheet had been submitted and the first FIR had been cancelled. He said Anwar was not present in the province, citing his last location as Bhera, Sargodha.

Lawyer Faisal Siddiqui, representing Naqeebullah's family, pointed out that only 10 of the 24 accused had been arrested so far. Khawaja informed that 12 accused had been arrested. "Questions are being raised on the state's authority," Siddiqui said, to which the CJP responded by saying that the question on the state's authority was very important. Khawaja stressed that the police were making efforts to arrest the absconding suspects.

The chief justice ordered the Sindh police chief to give the court an in-camera briefing on the next hearing regarding the CCTV footage of Anwar's botched escape bid from the Islamabad airport. Airports Security Force (ASF) Director General Major General Ali Abbas Haider has also been summoned for the next hearing which will be held at the SC Karachi Registry on March 16.