An anti-terrorism court, on Wednesday, fixed a case of the alleged murder of Naqeebullah Mehsud in a staged encounter for the indictment of former Malir SSP Rao Anwar and 17 other detained police officials on March 5.
The then SSP Rao Anwar, the then DSP Qamar Ahmed Shaikh along with their 13 detained and seven absconding subordinates have been accused of allegedly killing four persons in a fake shoot-out after declaring them militants associated with banned organisations in Shah Latif Town in Karachi on January 13, 2018. Anwar is currently out on bail.
On Tuesday, the ATC-III judge heard the case in the judicial complex inside the central prison.
At the onset, the special public prosecutor moved an application under Section 21M of the Anti-Terrorism Act and sought a joint trial of Rao Anwar along with his 17 accomplices.
In the review petition filed in the Supreme Court on February 14, former SSP Malir had requested the court to revoke its previous order and remove his name from the Exit Control List (ECL) in Naqeebullah murder case. His earlier plea seeking removal from the ECL was rejected by the apex court on January 10. Then, Anwar had claimed that the prosecution was yet unable to prove its allegations against him in the Naqeebullah murder case.
Published in Daily Times, February 21st 2019.
