Rao Anwar still at large as SC takes up Naqeeb murder case tomorrow

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has issued notices to federal and provincial law officers as well as the Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) in a case pertaining to the death of aspiring fashion model Naqeebullah Mehsud in a staged encounter.

Former SSP Malir Rao Anwar, who is facing murder charges for allegedly leading the encounter in which Naqeeb was killed, has gone into hiding as the law enforcement agencies are struggling to find him.

The Naqeeb murder case has been fixed for hearing before a bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar for Monday (tomorrow).

Notices have been issued to deputy attorney general, Advocate Generals of the four provinces, the SBP Governor and the secretaries of the interior and information ministries in the case.

The court has also served notices to Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) director general, provincial police chiefs of Punjab, KP, Balochistan and Sindh.

At the last hearing, the apex court issued a contempt of court notice to absconding former SSP Malir Rao Anwar over his failure to turn up before it in the case.

It ordered the authorities concerned to freeze the bank accounts and assets of the absconding officer.

The SBP has frozen the bank accounts of fugitive Rao Anwar in compliance with the apex court’s order in the case.

Anwar was issued a contempt notice for failing to appear before the court despite having been granted protective bail.

The apex court had taken a suo motu notice of the murder of 27-year-old Naqeebullah Mehsud from South Waziristan who was killed in a staged encounter led by Rao Anwar in Karachi on January 13.

The murder triggered widespread outrage on social media when the family of aspiring fashion model rejected claims that Mehsud was a member of a terrorist outfit and had any criminal record.

In a letter to the chief justice, the fugitive officer professed innocence, saying he was not present at the site of the encounter, where Naqeeb was killed.

He demanded that a free and fair joint investigation should be constituted to look into the allegations against him.

The court had asked Rao Anwar to appear in the next hearing of the case and restrained police from arresting him.