KARACHI: Sher Alam, brother of Naqeebullah, has challenged in Sindh High Court (SHC), the acquittal of former senior superintendent of police (SSP) Rao Anwar and other accused in the murder case of his brother.
Also read: Naqeeb Mehsud murder case: ATC acquits Rao Anwar & others
The appeal was filed by Jibran Nasir Advocate on behalf of Naqeebullah’s brother Sher Alam on Monday, who prayed that despite strong evidence against the accused, the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) had acquitted all of them, including Rao Anwar.
Sher Alam requested the SHC that the ruling of the ATC, given on January 23, 2023, should be declared null and void.
Case Background:
Naqeebullah Mehsud was a 27-year-old shopkeeper from the South Waziristan tribal district of Pakistan who was falsely accused of being a member of the Taliban and killed in a ‘fake’ police encounter in January 2018.
The case gained widespread attention and sparked protests, with many accusing the police of carrying out an extrajudicial killing.
The officer who led the operation, Rao Anwar, was arrested and charged with murder, but was later released on bail.
The ATC had reserved verdict on January 14 while the decision has been pronounced after five years on January 23.
The case challan had 90 witnesses while seven witnesses of the prosecution had receded from their statements.
The JIT report in the Naqeebullah Mehsud case was released in March 2018. It concluded that Mehsud was not a terrorist, as had been claimed by the police, but rather an innocent individual who was killed in a staged encounter.
The report also found that the police officers involved in the operation had fabricated evidence and witnesses to justify the killing.
The report also named senior police officer Rao Anwar as the main suspect in the case.
Based on the JIT report, Anwar and several other officers were charged with murder and other crimes.
