SC summons Rao Anwar to appear in person on January 26

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court of Pakistan has summoned beleaguered police officer Rao Anwar to appear before it on January 26 (Saturday) in person as the top court will hear the suo motu cognizance pertaining to extrajudicial killing of 27-year-old Naqeebullah in Karachi, ARY News reported.

Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar had earlier taken the notice of killing on January 19, while directing the Inspector General (IG) Sindh Police to submit a detailed report on the matter within seven days.

The slain youth was from South Waziristan had purportedly arrived in Karachi to start a business when he was abducted on January 3 before a fake encounter by a police team headed by suspended SSP Malir Rao Anwar in Shah Latif Town area of the city.

According to family and acquaintances of Naseemullah Mehsud, better known as Naqeebullah, he was arrested by policemen in plain clothes from Gul Sher Agha Hotel in Sohrab Goth and then murdered in fake encounter on January 12.

Naqeebullah was innocent: Inquiry Committee

On Tuesday, Additional Inspector General of the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) Dr Sanaullah Abbasi, who heads the inquiry committee probing into the killing, announced that Naqeebullah was innocent and his death was an extrajudicial killing.

Addressing Mehsud tribal jirga (gathering) at Sohrab Goth, Abbasi assured the tribesmen that the case would be taken to its logical conclusion.

Anwar’s name on ECL

Earlier on Tuesday, the CJP directed the authorities to place SSP Anwar’s name on the ECL.

The apex court’s direction came on the heels of the suspended police officer’s bid to flee the country to avoid a probe into the alleged extrajudicial murder of Naqeebullah.

The chief justice then issued a notice to Anwar to turn up before the court on January 26.

He directed the Inspector General of Sindh Police and head of a three-member committee formed to probe the death of Naqeebullah to appear before it on next hearing at the apex court’s Karachi registry.

FIA deplanes SSP Anwar from Dubai-bound flight 

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Tuesday morning stopped SSP Anwar, who is facing a probe into the killing of 27-year-old youth from South Waziristan in a fake encounter, from leaving the country.

Anwar was to board a Dubai-bound flight at the Benazir International Airport, Islamabad but was barred by FIA officials from fleeing the country.

On January 20, Inspector General of Police Sindh Allah Dino Khowaja suspended him from his post on recommendation of the inquiry team tasked to investigate the killing of Naqeebullah Mehsud.

On January 13, Rao Anwar had claimed to have shot dead four members of the defunct Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in an encounter near Shah Latif Town in Karachi.

Family members of one of the killed terror suspects, Naqeebullah Mehsud, claimed that he was killed in a fake encounter, triggering widespread public outrage.