Supreme Court on Tuesday summoned former SSP Malir Rao on January 27 in ‘personal capacity’.
The court has also directed to immediately place the name of the Anwar in Exit Control List (ECL) after he tried to flee the country from Benazir Internatioanl Airport.
“Rao Anwar is not appearing before the JIT and is also trying to travel abroad. We are summoning him while issuing a notice,” remarked the Chief Justice.
The Supreme Court also ordered the JIT probing the extrajudicial murder of Naqeebullah Mehsud to appear before it on next hearing.
Chief also directed Sindh Inspector General to attend the hearing in personal capacity. The court has fixed the date for hearing of suo-moto notice in Karachi registry tomorrow.
Ex-SSP tries to flee country
Rao Anwar was deplaned from Dubai-bound flight EK-615 at Benazir Bhutto International Airport after he tried to flee the country. He was stopped by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) officials at the immigration counter and was told that he cannot be allowed to depart due to the ongoing investigation against him.
However; no arrest was made and Anwar was allowed to walk free. Rao denies that he was trying to leave the country saying that all such news on the media is false.
Not a terrorist
Mehsud, a 27-year-old hailing from South Waziristan, was gunned down on January 13 in Shah Latif Town by ‘encounter’ with a police team headed by Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Rao Anwar, however; preliminary probe suggest that Mehsud was killed in cold blood and had no terror links.
His killing has sparked a social media outcry, as his family members reject claims by authorities that he was a member of the Tehreek-e-Taliban, saying he was an innocent aspiring male model.
TTP commander, imprisoned in Karachi Central Jail, Qari Ahsan also said that he never heard of any operative named Naqeebullah Mehsud.
Anwar says he may have been mistaken
Rao Anwar was removed from his post after inquiry committee formed to probe Mehsud’s encounter in Karachi found no evidence related to his involvement in terror activities.
Responding to his suspension and the ongoing investigation against the alleged staged encounter killing of Naqeebullah Mehsud, the sacked Malir SSP defended himself saying his intentions were never wrong.
He admitted that he might have made a mistake, complaining that he has not been given a fare opportunity to defend himself.
“I have not been trusted … I did not have bad intentions and might have been mistaken,” Rao Anwar said while talking to Kamran Khan on Dunya News programme.
“Four terrorists were killed but people raised voice for only one.”
Anwar defended himself saying errors occur during any war, giving the example of how innocent people are killed bombing.
