KARACHI – Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Malir Rao Anwar on Saturday removed from the post after a three-member investigation committee submitted an interim report on the killing of a 27-year-old Naqeebullah in a ‘staged encounter’.
Inspector General Sindh AD Khawaja transferred Anwar, adding that further action against him will be taken after the completion of the inquiry. However, Adeel Chandio has been appointed as SSP Malir.
According to the notification, “Mr Anwar Ahmed Khan, an officer of Sindh Police (BS-18). Senior Superintendent of Police, District Malir, Karachi Range, is transferred and directed to report to CPO Sindh, Karachi with immediate effect and until further orders.”
The name of the SSP Malir was also put on the Exit Control List (ECL).
The decision comes after probe body head AIG Sanaullah Abbasi said that interim report regarding the case was sent to Sindh police after proper investigation.
Media reports suggest that the investigation team declared Mehsud innocent, refusing the allegations levelled by Rao Anwar. The team, in the report, said that no evidence found that showed links between the deceased and terror outfits.
It is learnt that the committee has asked the authorities to register a case against the SSP, known as an “encounter specialist” and other team members involved in the extrajudicial killing. The team also suggested that Rao Anwar’s name should be put on Exit Control List (ECL).
On Friday, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Mian Saqib Nisar took a suo motu notice over the ‘encounter’ of Naqeebullah Mehsud and summoned a report from the Sindh police chief in seven days.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Malir Rao Anwar on Friday appeared before the inquiry committee and submitted the ‘criminal record’ of the killed youth. He also expressed reservations over the members of the team for being biased.
In a brief media talk, Anwar said that Naqeebullah Mehsuad, whose name is Naseemullah on his national identity card, was 100 percent terrorist and wanted to police in a 2014 kidnapping case.
He claimed that some elements were trying to frame him in this case for political reasons. He accused Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) of defaming him because of lodging two cases against PTI member Haleem Adil Sheikh.
Encounter
On January 12, a police encounter took place in Shah Latif Town of Karachi under the supervision of Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Malir Rao Anwar. During this shoot-out, four alleged members of banned outfit Tahreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were killed. Amongst these four alleged terrorists was 27-years-old Naseemullah, alias Naqeeb Mehsud.
Ever since his killing, disputed claims have emerged from his family that Naqeeb was abducted on 3rd January and his killing is extrajudicial. These claims have caused a social media uproar.
After the social media uproar against the ‘extrajudicial encounter’ of Naqeeb, Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has ordered an inquiry into the case as more details pointing towards mysterious circumstances emerge.
Upon Bilawal’s direction, Sindh’s Home Miniter Sohail Anwar Siyal has appointed DIG Police South Zone, Karachi, to conduct an inquiry into the matter and to submit findings within 15 days.
