Father of Naqeebullah objects to reasons for not keeping Rao Anwar in jail

KARACHI: Father of Naqeebullah Mehsud, the Waziristan youth who was shot dead in an alleged fake police encounter, has objected the reasons provided by the police for not keeping former Malir SSP Rao Anwar in jail, terming it “shocking” that Anwar’s home is the sub-jail, an English daily reported.

Anwar is the prime suspect in a case pertaining to the extrajudicial killing of Naqeebullah Mehsud and three others in an alleged staged encounter in Karachi.

The suspended SSP and his 11 detained subordinates along with around 15 absconding officers are accused of abducting an aspiring model Naseem Ullah, better known as Naqeebullah Mehsud, for ransom and killing him with three other detainees by dubbing them ‘militants’ in a staged encounter in Malir on Jan 13.

According to affidavits submitted by the Inspector General Prison and the Senior Superintendent of the Central Jail Karachi, Anwar cannot be kept in jail because “it is risky, since there is a shortage of jail staff and the jail is already overcrowded having 48,000 prisoners”.

According to Muhammad Khan, Naqeebullah’s father, this statement is shocking and has only been made only to protect Rao Anwar, so that he is not confined to jail.

Naqeebullah’s father pointed out that if there is a security risk, a shortage of staff or the jail is overcrowded then “all other high-security prisoners in jail should be put in confinement within their own homes”.

It is shocking that since his arrest, Rao Anwar has not spent a single day in police or judicial custody. Instead, he has been comfortably spending time at home.

Naqeebullah’s father stated that this fact goes to show that the Sindh government and the state are in complete collusion with Rao Anwar and is facilitating him. He maintained that Rao’s detention in his own home was simply a continuation of the VVIP treatment being accorded to him.

The petitioner earlier submitted that such favouritism and nepotism in favour of the suspended SSP was clearly mala fide since the authorities have failed to disclose any credible information regarding serious threats to his life.