SC receives another letter from absconding Rao Anwar

The Supreme Court (SC) has received another letter from former Malir Senior Superintendent Police (SSP) Rao Anwar, who has been absconding in the Naqeebullah Mehsud's extra-judicial murder case.

During the hearing on Wednesday, the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Saqib Nisar said that he had received another letter from the former SSP, asking him to unfreeze his bank accounts, local media reported. Earlier on February 17, the SC had ordered to freeze the bank accounts of Anwar after which the State Bank of Pakistan had taken action.

However, the CJP said during the proceedings that it is not confirmed whether Anwar had sent the letter which has been kept in a file.

Faisal Siddiqui, representing Naqeebullah's father, said that only 10 of the 24 accused have been apprehended, which was raising questions regarding the authority of the state. The Sindh Inspector General of Police Allah Dino Khawaja replied that so far 12 arrests have been made by the police.

Justice Nisar then ordered an in-camera briefing of the CCTV footage regarding Anwar's attempted escape from Islamabad airport in the next hearing on March 16.

SC issues contempt notice to Rao Anwar after his failure to appear

This is the second letter received by the CJP from Anwar. In his first letter, the former SSP had claimed that he was innocent and that he was not present at the site of the encounter when Mehsud was killed. He had also asked for a free and fair joint investigation.

On February 13, the SC issued orders not to arrest the former SSP and granted him protective bail, while directing him to appear before the court on February 16.

However, Anwar failed to appear before the court despite being given protective bail, after which the SC issued contempt of court notice to Anwar for defying its orders to appear before it.

The former SSP is in hiding ever since he tried to flee the country.  He is wanted in the ‘extra judicial murder’ of 27-year-old Naqeebullah, a native of Waziristan. He was killed, along with three other suspected terrorists, on January 13 in an alleged encounter with a police team headed by Anwar. However, Naqeebullah’s family has claimed that the deceased was innocent and was killed in a ‘fake’ encounter.