SC gives Sindh police 10 more days to arrest Rao Anwar

The Supreme Court (SC) has set a new 10-day deadline for the Sindh police to apprehend the former Malir Senior Superintendent Police (SSP) Rao Anwar.

The three-member bench headed by the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Saqib Nisar, comprising Justice Gulzar and Justice Faisal Arab, resumed the suo motu case on Thursday.

During the proceedings, Inspector General (IG) of Sindh Police AD Khawaja submitted an inquiry report to the SC regarding the 'extrajudicial murder' of Naqeebullah Mehsud. As per the inquiry report, Naqeebullah was confined illegally and was murdered in a 'staged encounter', while he and his two friends were kidnapped and tortured.

The report further says that Anwar had tried to flee the country through forged documents, even though he knew he was facing an inquiry committee for his involvement in the murder of  Naqeebullah, local media reported.

“Contrary to the persistent claim of Rao Anwar in media and statement before the commitee, there is no evidence of involvement of Naqeebullah in any terrorist act/activity,” the report further says. The report also claimed that the phone record from the mobile phones of Anwar’s close aides was thoroughly checked.

Police put up ‘wanted poster’ outside Rao Anwar’s house

On January 27, the SC had given the IG three days time to arrest Anwar, who has been involved in the ‘extrajudicial murder’ of Naqeebullah Mehsud.

However, the deadline expired on January 31 and the police were not been able to arrest Anwar. The day the deadline expired, Sindh police conducted a raid at the former SSP’s house in Islamabad and put up a ‘wanted’ poster outside his house.

The former SSP is wanted in the ‘extra judicial murder’ of 27-year-old Naqeebullah, a native of Waziristan. He was killed, along with three other suspected terrorists, on January 13 in an alleged encounter with a police team headed by Anwar. However, Naqeebullah’s family has claimed that the deceased was innocent and was killed in a ‘fake’ encounter.