Four police teams sent to Punjab, K-P for arresting Rao Anwar

Supreme Court gave 72-hour deadline to police to arrest and present the deposed SSP Malir

Four police teams on Monday have been sent to Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (two to Punjab and two to K-P) for arresting the former SSP Malir Rao Anwar over the alleged extrajudicial killing of Naeemullah alias Naqeebullah Mehsud in Karachi.

The Sindh government has sought assistance from intelligence agencies to arrest Anwar in connection with his alleged involvement in the extrajudicial killing of Naqeebullah Mehsud.



The provincial government has asked for 'cooperation' of all provinces in the suo moto case to produce the accused former SSP Malir Rao Anwar.

In a letter titled the cooperation with police party of Sindh, the Home Department of Sindh has asked all provincial governments including Gilgit Baltistan to help a police party headed by SSP Zuliqar Mahar, SSP Abid Hussain, DSP Azal Noor Inspector Farooq Azam and others have been tasked to apprehend Rao Anwar, Zareen Dawar and those who are absconders.

The letter states that Zareen Dawar has been nominated in an FIR because he had announced head money for the assassination of Rao Anwar Khan and had also been instigating a mob.



The letter concluded by asking that the two accused and their accomplices if found in the jurisdiction of the provinces should be transferred to Sindh so that they can be produced before the honourable court.

“He [Rao Anwar] reached Islamabad via a PIA flight on January 20. While on January 23, FIA officials and immigration department stopped him from fleeing to Dubai from the Islamabad airport. Anwar is reportedly trying to escape the country to dodge the ongoing investigation,” read the letter.



In the letter IG Sindh implores the authorities for help in arresting and presenting him to the Supreme Court.

The inquiry committee formed to investigate the incident declared Mehsud innocent, saying that he was murdered by the police in a fake encounter.

While Anwar has reportedly absconded and is trying to avoid facing the inquiry team.

On January 27, the country's top court gave a 72-hour deadline to police to arrest and present the deposed SSP.

Earlier today, an inquiry report in the high-profile alleged encounter of Naqeebullah had revealed that it was a “coordinated fake encounter”.



The probe committee described eyewitnesses accounts saying Naqeebullah was “picked up” along with two others --Hazrat Ali and Qasim -- on January 3 by plain-clothed men and taken to Sachal Police Post before being moved to another location.

They were illegally detained and tortured until January 6 when the eyewitnesses were released while Naqeebullah remained in the custody. The eyewitnesses added that they came to know about the Naqeebullah’s encounter from the media on January 17 as did his family who, soon after, negated claims made by the former SSP Malir that Naqeebullah was a “terrorist”.