KARACHI: Suspended Malir SSP Rao Anwar remains at large and the three-day deadline set for his arrest by the Supreme Court has lapsed.
On Tuesday, a team of Sindh police raided a house in Sector F-10/4 of Islamabad in search of Anwar but he was not found there. The team left after putting up a notice at the entrance, saying that Anwar was wanted in a murder case and appealing the readers to report his whereabouts to the law enforcers.
Later at night, this scribe received a Whatsapp text from Anwar’s number denying that he owned the house raided in Islamabad. He said the house was owned by someone else and he had just rented it out for a few months a couple of years ago. He also shared copies of utility bills of a house in F-10/4, though the head of the police team that undertook the raid could not be reached to corroborate the house number.
Meanwhile, the family of another man killed alongside Naseemullah alias Naqeebullah Mehsud, in what Anwar claimed was a shootout in Shah Latif Town on January 13, came forward with a complaint against him.
Muhammad Yousuf, younger brother of deceased Maulvi Ishaq, submitted an application with the seeking registration a murder case against Anwar and his accomplices. Yousuf and his other family members reached Karachi from Bahawalpur, their hometown, on Tuesday. Speaking to the media, he said that his brother had been taken into custody from a seminary in Bahawalpur on November 11, 2016. He said the family had not heard from him since then. “Ishaq taught at the seminary for 16 years,” Yousaf said, “We want justice for our brother.
The inquiry committee has already rubbished the claim that the killings took place in an encounter,” he said.
The family has joined the sit-in arranged by the Pashtun Qaumi Grand Jirga at Sohrab Goth that enters its 11th day on Wednesday (today).
Naqeebullah and Maulvi Ishaq were among four men killed by Anwar and his accomplices in, what they said, was a shootout. The attention of the mainstream media and the apex judiciary was drawn towards the incident following outcry on social media by family and relatives of the deceased who rejected Anwar’s claim, alleging that he had killed the four men in cold blood.
An inquiry committee formed by IGP later gave credence to the claim that the killings took place in a staged encounter. Anwar and his associates were suspended by the government and an FIR registered against them in the matter.
Anwar’s whereabouts are unknown since he was prevented from boarding a Dubai-bound flight at Islamabad airport by the Federal Investigation Agency officials.
Last Friday, Sindh IGP Allah Dino Khowaja constituted a different investigation team to track down the suspected officials and arrest them in accordance with the Tuesday deadline set by the Supreme Court.
Speaking to Daily Times on Tuesday, Sindh police chief AD Khowaja said they could not yet give a timeframe for arrests. When asked about the arrest of Anwar’s accomplices, DIG East Sultan Khowaja said that he was given charge of the initial inquiry only and the task of arrests was given to the investigation team. The head of the investigation team did not take calls or respond to text messages.
Following rumors that the suspended cop had apparently succeeded in fleeing the country with Bahria Town chief Malik Riaz’s help, the latter uploaded a video on his social media pages denying the rumour on Tuesday.
Published in Daily Times, January 31st 2018.