Rao Anwar, other accused indicted in Naqeebullah case

KARACHI: Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Karachi indicted former SSP Malir Rao Anwar in Naqeebullah murder case, however, the central suspect pleaded not guilty before the court. An ATC in the metropolis heard the notorious case of Naqeebullah Mehsud who was first abducted from Gul Sher Agha Hotel and then later eliminated by Police force on directives of SSP. On the occasion all suspects including Rao Anwar appeared before the court. The court indicted former SSP Malir and other offenders, however, the involved suspects denied the imposed charges. To this the court, while adjourning hearing of the case, summoned all witnesses on April 11. It is to be noted that 13 police officials were imprisoned on court’s remand. Whereas seven suspects including the former SSP Rao Anwar, DSP Qamar and five others were released on bail. It is pertinent to mention that on January 13, 2018 SSP of Karachi’s Malir District at the time Rao Anwar staged a fake encounter and killed a man named Naqeebullah Mehsud in Karachi. Naqeebullah was kidnapped on January 3 along with two of his friends Hazrat Ali and Mohammed Qasim by Rao Anwar’s men in plainclothes from Gul Sher Agha Hotel in Sohrab Goth, Karachi.

On January 6 both of his friends were freed by the police but Naqeebullah was kept in captivity tortured and then killed on January 13. Reports revealed that he was shot twice in the back.

Alongside Naqeebullah three other men namely Muhammad Sabir and Muhammad Ishaq from Bahawalpur and Nazar Jan Mehsud from South Waziristan were also killed by the police in the staged encounter.

The fake encounter sparked countrywide protests against extrajudicial killings in Pakistan.

Police alleged that they killed four suspected terrorists in a shootout. Rao Anwar claimed that Naqeebullah had links with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Daesh). However the claims were denounced by Naqeeb’s relatives.

An inquiry committee, consisting of senior police officers, was formed which declared the brutally murdered Naqeebullah innocent and also termed the carried out encounter as fake.