Sindh Home Minister Sohail Anwar Siyal on Tuesday said that he will make his 'best efforts' to get justice for all victims of fake encounters and extrajudicial killings.
Siyal said the provincial government has improved Sindh's security situation as much as the 'law' and 'authority vested in it' has allowed.
"Why just Rao Anwar's case?" he said, "I will pursue all cases [of extrajudicial killings.]"
Responding to a question about the absconding police officer's recent statement to media that denied ownership of the house that the police had conducted a raid on, claiming to be the property of Anwar, Siyal said he will probe into the matter.
"I will ask the police why someone else’s house was raided if it does not belong to Anwar and what was the information received by the police that led to the decision of the raid," he said, adding that such ill-informed raids are creating a bad image of the police department.
Tactfully sidestepping a question about the police department's unchecked powers over an unprotected section of the society, the provincial minister lamented the lack of powers vested in the Sindh government.
"The Sindh government does not have the power to appoint a police officer. This was the case in Rao Anwar's matter too, who reported to the Sindh Inspector General of Police [AD Khawaja]," he said.
"The 18th amendment of the Constitution says that law and order is not the provincial government's domain," he said. "According to a high court judgement, I am sorry to say, the provincial government is an outsider [in law and order cases.]"
Lashing out at the police department, Siyal criticised the law enforcement agency for adopting the incorrect procedure for creating a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) in the recent murder of a 19-year-old youth Intezar Ahmed.
"I have just received a summary of that case and I will approve it now," he said.
CM had removed Anwar and made an inquiry committee but he was cleared by the police
The former SSP Malir is wanted by the authorities in connection to the extrajudicial murder of Naqeebullah Mehsud — who along with four alleged terrorists — was killed in an ‘exchange of fire’ with a police team led by Anwar on January 13 in Shah Latif Town, Karachi.
Anwar has denied reports of a raid conducted on a house in Islamabad's F-10 vicinity earlier today.
"The house raided in Islamabad's F-10 vicinity is not mine, none of my houses was raided," he had said in a statement. "The raid conducted [today] was on House-133, Street-43, Sector F-10, which is owned by Waqas Raffat son of Malik Raffat Hussain."
However, investigation officials have claimed that the house raided today, as per the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) record, is owned by the suspended Malir SSP.
Sindh writes to provinces seeking help for Anwar's arrest
The Home Ministry of Sindh wrote late Saturday a letter to the administrations of all four provinces, Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), and Kashmir in light of the pending arrest of suspended Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Malir Rao Anwar and his team.
The home ministry's letter also mentioned the pending arrest of Zareen Dawar — the person who, on social media, offered a bounty on Anwar's head.
A team was also set up to arrest the fugitive police official and his accomplices, with Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Saqib Nisar ordering Anwar to be taken into custody in three days.
In this regard, Siyal had said it was advisable for Anwar to appear in front of the inquiry committee, especially due to the fact that the investigation revealed the encounter he conducted was "fake".
Anwar needs to state the truth, Siyal had noted, adding that upholding the law is obligatory for everyone.
Earlier in the day, Sindh Inspector General of Police (IGP) AD Khawaja had urged Anwar to "face the court" and adopt a "legal course" of action rather than continue evading detention.
Speaking to the media outside the Supreme Court on Saturday, Khawaja had weighed in over the "disappearance" of Anwar.
“I think that [Rao Anwar] should face the court and court a legal course. The court will listen to his legal arguments,” he had said.
Naqeebullah murder case
Mehsud, a 27-year-old native of Waziristan, was killed on January 13 by a police party led by Anwar.
Following claims of innocence from Naqeebullah's family, an inquiry committee was formed, after which Anwar and the raiding police party officials went into hiding. An FIR was registered against Anwar and his associates, owing to their no-show and involvement in the case.
