SC snubs ex-SSP’s plea seeking his removal from ECL

Top court tells Rao Anwar to file new application if he wanted relief

ISLAMABAD:

The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed a review petition filed by former senior superintendent of police (SSP) Rao Anwar requesting the court to remove his name from the Exit Control List (ECL).

In January 2018, Naqeebullah Mehsud, an aspiring model with a large social media presence, was killed in a fake encounter carried out by a police team headed by then SSP Malir Rao Anwar in Karachi. The fake encounter sparked countrywide protests against extrajudicial killings in the country.

A three-judge bench, led by Justice Ijazul Ahsan, told Anwar, who is facing judicial proceedings for his alleged involvement in at least 444 extrajudicial murders, to approach a relevant forum for the removal of his name from the no-fly list.

The apex court also asked the former police officer to file a fresh application if he wanted relief from the courts.

The counsel representing the former Karachi cop said the trial against Anwar was under way in a trial court in the metropolis and his client was appearing before the court at every hearing.

Anwar was placed on the ECL till further order on the directives of the court, Justice Ijaz observed, adding that it was not a bail application that the SC could accept.

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In January last year, the Sindh High Court had dismissed the former SSP’s plea seeking exemption from attendance in the Naqeebullah murder case. “Would it not be discrimination against others if Rao Anwar is excused from attending court proceedings?” SHC Chief Justice Ahmed Ali Sheikh had remarked.

According to the prosecution, the under-trial police officials had kidnapped Naqeeb and three others for ransom and later killed them in a fake encounter, dubbing them militants.

The killing of the 27-year-old aspiring model from South Waziristan had sparked widespread protests by civil society and the then chief justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar took suo motu notice of the killings.

Contrary to Anwar’s claim that the victims were militants, the trial court declared Naqeeb and other victims as innocent and quashed the cases filed against them.

In March 2019, an anti-terrorism court had indicted Anwar and other policemen for the murder of four victims in a fake encounter, labelling them as militants and foisting fake recoveries of weapons and explosives on the victims.

Seven other policemen, including Amanullah Marwat, Shaikh Muhammad Shoaib, Gada Hussain, Mohsin Abbas, Sadaqat Hussain Shah, Rana Shamim and Riaz, were declared proclaimed offenders and warrants issued for their arrest.