ATC grants bail to Rao Anwar in illegal weapons case

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) granted bail on Friday to suspended Malir Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Rao Anwar in a case related to the possession of explosives and illegal weapons.

The ATC has ordered Anwar's counsel to submit a surety bond of 1 million, local media reported. After getting the bail, Anwar is expected to be released soon. The ATC had reserved its verdict regarding Anwar's plea on July 17.

The former SSP has been accused in two cases. One case pertains to the possession of illegal weapons. The second case is the murder of Naqeebullah Mehsud in a fake encounter. Last week, Anwar was granted bail in the Naqeebullah murder case after submitting surety bonds of Rs1 million.

After hiding for months and failing to appear before the court regarding the fake encounter case, Anwar, in a sudden move, appeared before the Supreme Court in March, from where he was taken into custody and shifted to Karachi. The former SSP's house in Malir Cantonment, was declared a sub-jail.