ATC indicts Rao Anwar, 17 others in Naqeebullah Mehsud murder case

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Monday framed charges against former Malir SSP Rao Anwar and 17 other retired and serving policemen for the alleged murder of Naqeebullah Mehsud and implicating him in bogus cases.According to the prosecution, 27-year-old Naseemullah (aka Naqeebullah) Mehsud was killed along with three others — Sabir, Nazar Jan and Ishaq — in a fake encounter in Shah Latif Town on last January 13.Twenty-five policemen have been booked for the incident. Five of them — Anwar Ahmed Khan (aka Rao Anwar), Qamar Ahmed Shaikh, Muhammad Yaseen, Supurd Hussain and Khizar Hayat — are on bail.Thirteen of the cops — Allah Yar Kaka, Muhammad Iqbal, Arshad Ali, Ghulam Nazuk, Abdul Ali, Shafiq Ahmed, Shakeel, Muhammad Anar, Khair Muhammad, Faisal Mehmood, Ali Akbar, Raees and Syed Imran Kazmi — are in custody.Seven others — Amanullah Marwat, Shaikh Muhammad Shoaib, Gada Hussain, Mohsin Abbas, Sadaqat Hussain Shah, Rana Shamim and Riaz — are on the run. During the hearing on Monday, the ATC-III judge read out the charges to the accused on bail and in custody, to which all of them pleaded not guilty and decided to contest.The judge then commenced the trial and told the prosecution to bring in the witnesses on April 11 to record their testimonies. The case against the absconding suspects will remain dormant until they are arrested or they surrender before the court.The court had earlier issued perpetual warrants of arrest for them after the investigators told the court that they had gone into hiding. The accused were indicted in two FIRs: No. 40/2018 registered at the Sachal police station on the complaint of Naqeeb’s father Khan Muhammad and No. 142/2018 registered at the Shah Latif Town police station on the complaint of the state.Both the FIRs have the same set of accused. FIR No. 40/2018 pertains to the kidnapping of Naqeeb for ransom, his unlawful detention and murder in a fake encounter. FIR No. 142/2018 is about implicating him in bogus cases of recovering arms and ammunition.Last week the ATC-III had combined both the FIRs for a joint trial after the prosecution moved an application under Section 21-M of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1999. The section reads: “While trying any offence under this act, a Court may also try and other offence which an accused may, under the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1898, be charged, at the same trial if the offence is connected with such other offence.”Police findingsNaqeeb and his friends Hazrat Ali and Qasim were picked up by the police on January 4 last year from a teashop named Sher Agha Hotel on Abul Hassan Ispahani Road. They were kept in illegal confinement and badly tortured. Ali and Qasim were released two days later, while Naqeeb was killed in a fake police encounter on January 13.Anwar had claimed that the 27-year-old was a terrorist and was killed with his accomplices during a shootout with law enforcers in the jurisdiction of the Shah Latif Town police station. Contrary to Anwar’s repeated claim, there is no evidence of Naqeeb’s involvement in any terrorist activity. His social media profile portrays him as a liberal and fun-loving young man with a penchant for modelling.Regarding the claim of an exchange of gunfire, the examination of the crime scene found that no shots were fired from the inside of the house where the alleged terrorists were supposedly hiding. No hand grenade was hurled either.

from The News International - Karachi https://ift.tt/2OrCniB