ATC Declares Naqeebullah Innocent, His Murder As Extra-judicial Killing

In light of the evidence, the police encounter was termed fake and baseless.

Lahore (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News – 24th January) The Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) has declared the murder of Naqeebullah Mehsud as extra-judicial killing.

The court approved the report to dismiss five cases registered against Naqeebullah Mehsud and others.

The report stated that Naqeebullah and his friends were murdered after declaring them as terrorists belonging to ISIS and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi.

In light of the evidence, the police encounter was termed fake and baseless.

The report further stated that Naqeebullah and his friends were murdered in a room and weapons were placed in the room after the murder. Rao Anwar and fellow police officials were present at the scene.

The report stated that the inquiry committee and investigation officer visited the scene of crime.

Moreover, the court dismissed the bail plea of seven accused in Naqeebullah murder case. The court ordered to send the accused to jail.

Naqeebullah Mehsud, a 27-year-old native of Waziristan, was among three others who were accused of terrorism and killed on the orders of Malir SSP Rao Anwar, in what was later termed a 'fake encounter'.

Anwar along with 10 of his subordinates and 15 other absconders were arrested on charges of abducting Naqeebullah for ransom and later killing him along with three other detainees in a fake encounter on Jan 13, 2018 on the outskirts of Karachi.

The Supreme Court had taken notice of the death of Naqeebullah Mehsud after the incident caused widespread outrage on social media and protests by political and religious parties.

The former SSP surrendered to the apex court on March 21, 2018 and subsequently was brought to Karachi to stand trial in the murder case. On January 13, Rao Anwar had claimed to have shot dead four members of the defunct Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in an encounter near Shah Latif Town in Karachi. Family members of one of the killed terror suspects, Naqeebullah Mehsud, alleged that he was killed in a fake encounter, triggering widespread public outrage.

Afterwards, a three-member inquiry committee, tasked to look into the allegations, termed the encounter a staged one and recommended action against Anwar and his team.