SSP Anwar quizzed in ‘staged encounter’ case

Inquiry committee following all leads to wrap up case in two more days

KARACHI: As protests erupted in parts of the country over the killing of Naqeebullah Mehsud in what his supporters allege was a fake encounter, Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar on Friday took notice of the incident and sought a report from the Sindh inspector general of police (IGP) within seven days.

On January 3, Naqeebullah went missing from his rented house at Sohrab Goth only to be found killed along with three others in an alleged encounter with the Malir police on January 13.

A large crowd of enraged protesters blocked the Super Highway for two hours after a Mehsud tribe Jirga was held nearby that demanded a judicial commission to probe the ‘staged encounter’. Many protesters were injured when the police force reached the site to disperse them.

Protesters took to the streets in Islamabad, Multan, Dera Ismail Khan, Peshawar, Tank, Bannu and parts of Federally Administered Tribal Areas.



Meanwhile, an inquiry committee on Friday quizzed Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Rao Anwar regarding the controversial killing of four alleged terrorists in an encounter with the Malir police in Karachi on January 13.

On Thursday, Sindh IGP Allah Dino Khawaja had formed a three-member inquiry committee, headed by Additional IG CTD Sanaullah Abbasi and comprising DIG East Sultan Khawaja and DIG South Azad Khan, to investigate the case.

On Friday, Malir SSP Anwar appeared before the departmental inquiry committee and maintained that Naseemullah alias Naqeebullah was a terrorist.

SSP Anwar submitted the criminal record of the deceased to the committee.

He claimed that a kidnapping for ransom case against Naseemullah was registered at the Sacchal police station in 2014, adding that some more militants were also nominated in the same kidnapping case.

Naseemullah was living in Sohrab Goth under a fake name, the SSP added.

“I have not killed any innocent person. Naqeebullah Mehsud was a terrorist,” he told the media after recording his statement. “I have recorded my statement and will continue to produce evidences against the deceased terrorist [Naqeebullah].”

Responding to a question, he said that why had not the family of the deceased submitted a missing person’s application to any police station or court if he had actually disappeared on January 3. “The reason behind this propaganda against me on social media is that I registered a case against PTI leader Haleem Adil Shaikh,” he said. “Conspiracies are always hatched against the one who works diligently.”



SSP Anwar had claimed on January 13 that he killed four operatives of the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and Islamic State in an encounter in Shah Latif neighbourhood.

But the whole situation took a U-turn when the family of the deceased identified him as 27-year-old Naseemullah Mehsud, and claimed that he was not a terrorist but the police picked him up on January 3 from Sohrab Goth area and later killed him in a staged encounter.

His family also claimed that Naseemullah wanted to become a model.

The members of the inquiry committee also visited the site at Shah Latif Town where the encounter with the police took place to gather evidences. The inquiry committee also recorded the statement of Shah Latif Town SHO Amanullah Marwat, who has already been suspended. The committee will also record the statements of all police officers who took part in the alleged encounter.

The inquiry committee also visited the Central Jail, Karachi to record the statement of a prisoner Qari Ahsan, who, according to SSP Anwar, was a close aide of Naseemullah.

According to police sources, there were three terrorists imprisoned who had the same name and all of them denied having ties with the deceased.

The committee will also record the statements of the family members, relatives and friends of the deceased.

The inquiry committee has to submit its report to the Sindh IGP within three days. “The family members and friends of the deceased as well as the witnesses of the incident can come forward to record their statement as it is an open inquiry,” DIG Sultan Khowaja told reporters.

The inquiry committee is also looking for the families of the remaining three suspected terrorists, who were killed along with Naseemullah in Shah Latif Town, as officials believe that their families’ statements could prove helpful in probing the case.