Naqeebullah 'extrajudicial' killing: Rao Anwar refuses to appear before probe team

KARACHI: Former-SSP Malir Rao Anwar on Sunday refused to appear before a probe team at DIG East Office for interrogation into alleged encounter killing of Naqeebullah Mehsood, ARY News reported.. 

Through a notice, new Investigation Officer (IO) SP Investigation East Abid Hussain Qaimkhani directed Rao Anwar to appear along six other police officials, suspected of involvement in the murder, before the investigation committee at 11:00pm on Sunday to record their statements over noncompliance and providing misleading information to media.

According to this notice, the former SSP Malir, talking to TV channels, implied that he tried four times to contact DIG East’s office but to no avail. “It is altogether wrong and contrary to the facts,” reads the notice.

The other police officers included SI Amanullah, ASI Gada Hussain, HC Sadaqat Ali Shah, HC Mohsin Abbas, PC Raja Shamim and Driver PC Rana Riaz Ahmed.

Later, it emerged that Rao Anwar had refused to appear before the IO at DIG East Office.

“I will not go to the DIG East Office and yet not decided to appear in other meetings of the investigation committee,” said the police officer.

Investigation officer summons Rao Anwar

The new investigation officer has now summoned Malir Rao Anwar on Monday to probe murder of the Waziristan native.

Naseemullah better known as Naqeeb Mehsud was recently killed by Rao Anwar, in a “shootout” in Karachi.

The ex-Malir SSP says he has evidence that Naqeeb was a terrorist, a claim that has been categorically denied by the latter’s family, friends and acquaintances who know him for a person who was fond of taking selfies and aspiring to be a model.

Read More: SSP Malir Rao Anwar removed from post over Naqeebullah’s death

According to a notice under Section 160 CrPC, Rao Anwar has been ordered to appear before the IO at 1:00pm on January 22 at his office.

Through a separate notice, former SHO Shah Latif Town, Malir, SI Amanullah has also been summoned by the same officer at the same time.

The notices also warned the police officers to refrain from appearing late for the probe.

Anwar was on Saturday removed from his post on the recommendations of a three-member committee formed to investigate the killing of 27-year-old.

The committee said the probe body could not find satisfactory evidence showing involvement of Naqeebullah in criminal activities.

This should be noted that Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami Siraj-ul-Haq has warned that the JI will hold a Grand Jirga on January 31, if satisfactory probe in Naqeeb killing case was not held.

Read More: CJP takes notice of Naqeebullah’s killing in alleged fake shootout

Police officers of ex-SSP Malir’s team transferred

On the other hand, all the police officers who had worked in Rao Anwar’s team have been transferred from Malir district through a notification.

According to a notification issued by Additional IG Sindh Police Office, 13 police officers including two DSPs and 11 SHOs have been transferred from Malir district.

The transfers/ postings have been made on recommendation of DIG East Zone Sultan Khawaja, a member of the team probing the alleged extra-judicial killing of the Waziristan native.

Recent suicide attack on Rao Anwar also seems fake: DIG West

Sultan Khawaja said the former-SSP Malir was not in their contact despite entry on wireless system. The police officer was giving statements to media rather than contacting them, he said.

He said Rao Anwar had to appear before the IG Sindh as well in the morning at 10:30.

Sultan said viewing all these circumstances the recent suicide bomb attack on Rao Anwar also seemed to be fake.

Expressing suspicion while visiting site of the incident, senior Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) official Raja Umar Khattab had said for the first time he was seeing that body of a suicide attacker was burned.

The DIG East also said a suicide bomber’s body did not burn after attack.

He said transparent investigation was being carried out in the murder case and legal action will proceed on statement of Naqeeb’s family. He also dispelled the notion that they had pressure from any institution.

“We have to submit the probe report before the Supreme Court,” he said.

It is apropos to mention that the ‘encounter specialist’ has allegedly killed scores of people of different ethnicities in ‘staged encounters’ .