Daily Times

LAHORE: As leaders of a protest movement seeking justice for Naqeebullah Mehsud are targeted by cases filed on flimsy charges in Zhob, the former Malir-SSP who has been linked with the youngster’s extrajudicial killing continues to embarrass the country’s judicial and executive authorities.

Since he went into hiding, Anwar has sent a second letter to the Chief Justice of Pakistan from a location apparently inside the country that somehow cannot be traced by the entire might of Pakistani intelligence and law enforcement agencies.

Meanwhile on Friday, CJP Saqib Nisar resumed hearing of the case at the Karachi registry of the apex court.

Appearing before the court, Sindh Inspector General of Police AD Khawaja yet again sought more time to track down the absconding policeman.

After the chief justice asked how much time the Sindh Police require, Khawaja claimed that substantial progress would be made in the case in the next two to three days. CJ Nisar then directed Khawaja to submit a progress report in the court at the next hearing on Monday, which will be held in Islamabad.

No one from the Airports Security Force (ASF) appeared in the court on Friday despite summons related to Anwar’s failed attempt to flee the country in late January.

Khawaja informed the court that they had received CCTV videos from the Karachi and Islamabad airports regarding Anwar’s escape attempt.

Speaking to the media on Friday, Khawaja said there was no evidence available to the police to suggest that Anwar had left the country.

The Sindh IG said he has asked the court for more time to arrest Anwar, adding that Anwar should appear in court and defend himself against the charges levelled against him.

Addressing the media outside the court, Naqeebullah Mehsud’s father expressed complete satisfaction with the court proceedings. Denying reports of a ‘deal’ with Anwar, he said he would continue to appear in court until Anwar was arrested. At the last hearing of the case in Islamabad, the Supreme Court had revealed that it had received another letter from Anwar in which he sought court directives for unfreezing his bank accounts.

Moreover, it was reported late on Wednesday that the Federal Investigation Agency had begun probing Anwar’s accounts.

A three-member bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice Nisar, had taken suo motu notice of the case. At a hearing on February 13, the court revealed the receipt of Anwar’s first letter, in which he claimed innocence and sought an impartial inquiry.

Staged encounter

In January this year, Naqeebullah, who hailed from South Waziristan, was killed along with three others in which his relatives and friends claimed was a staged encounter headed by then SSP Rao Anwar in the Usman Khaskheli Goth in Karachi.

Anwar had claimed that the deceased was a Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militant. However, Anwar went into hiding after a probe team, in its report, concluded that Naqeebullah’s murder was extrajudicial and that the victim had no links to the terrorist organisation.

A statement reportedly issued by a spokesperson of TTP’s South Waziristan chapter also termed Anwar’s claim as ‘baseless’, asserting that Naqeebullah had no links with the outfit.

Naqeebullah’s family had said that the 27-year-old had no links with any militant organisation, adding that he was running a small shop and was fond of modelling.

Following an uproar on social media over the staged encounter, Sindh Home Minister Sohail Anwar Siyal and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also took notice of the incident. The next day, the Supreme Court of Pakistan had also taken suo motu notice of the incident.

Published in Daily Times, March 17^th 2018.