‘Absolved’ Rao Anwar vows to serve Karachi again

Former Malir SSP Rao Anwar, who was acquitted in the Naqeebullah Mehsud murder case earlier today, has vowed to serve the metropolis again, saying that he had been absolved of “fake charges”.

“The false case has come to an end. I will serve this city again and will continue to fight the oppressors till my last breath,” he said while speaking to the media in outside the court on Monday.

Earlier in the day, an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Karachi acquitted all accused, including former Malir SSP Rao Anwar, in the high-profile murder case.

The special court announced the verdict in the Naqeebullah murder case, which was registered on January 23, 2018, after five years.

More than 90 witnesses were included in the trial challan and statements of 51 witnesses were recorded. Out of these, seven prosecution witnesses deviated from the statements earlier given to the police.

Also read: ATC acquits Rao Anwar, others in Naqeebullah Mehsud murder case

The court stated that the prosecution had failed to submit sufficient evidence against Anwar and the other accused persons.

The ATC further added that call records and geo-fencing of the crime scene failed to prove the presence of Anwar and others at the spot where the alleged shootout took place.

“Allah and the judge have done justice to me. The name of the one who was shot dead is Naseebullah not Naqeebullah and wrong picture was circulated in the media,” he added.

He was referring to Naqeebullah Mehsud, a young aspiring fashion model from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa's Waziristan, who was killed on January 13, 2018, in Karachi during a fake encounter allegedly staged by Anwar.

The then Malir SSP, along with his around two dozen subordinates, had been charged with the killing of four innocent civilians, including Naqeeb, dubbed as terrorists.