SHC moved for probe into Rao Anwar’s assets

There is clear evidence that suspended District Malir SSP Rao Anwar is a thoroughly corrupt police officer, who has acquired assets beyond his known means and has engaged in money laundering, Naqeeb Mehsud’s father told the Sindh High Court (SHC) on Tuesday. Muhammad Khan also challenged the home department’s notification declaring Anwar’s house a sub-jail.

Anwar and his subordinate policemen were booked for murdering Mehsud along with three others in a fake police encounter on January 13 in Shah Latif Town. Their trial is pending in an anti terrorism court (ATC).

Anwar was arrested on the orders of the Supreme Court on March 21, and after the duration of the police remand ended, he was sent to prison by the administrative judge of the ATCs on April 21.

The petitioner’s counsel Faisal Siddiqui said that despite the order of the trial court to shift the main accused to prison, the home department issued a notification declaring his house s sub-jail, which is in violation of the trial court’s orders.

Siddiqui said the home department issued the impugned notification with mala fide intention, as Anwar is the only under-trial prisoner of an ATC in Sindh whose own house has been declared a sub-jail, adding that such favouritism is against the jail’s rules and criminal procedure.

He said the impugned notification fails to disclose any credible information regarding serious threats to Anwar’s life. He asked that if the suspended cop is facing a serious threat, why has he not been detained at a high-security detention centre or why has his security not been increased in jail like other high-profile prisoners.

He also said Anwar’s detention in the comfort of his own home declared as a sub-jail is simply a continuation of the VVIP treatment being accorded to him.

Money laundering

The counsel said there is clear evidence that Anwar is a thoroughly corrupt police officer, who has acquired assets beyond his known means and has engaged in money laundering, adding that a relevant complaint has been sent to the National Accountability Bureau.

He said that in view of Anwar’s involvement in the terrorism case, he has been suspended from his post and he cannot be given any kind of concession under the law. He also said Anwar’s criminal character is obvious from the fact that he defied the court’s orders and according to a police report, he and his subordinates have been accused of carrying out 444 encounter killings over the past seven years.

In the complaint, Mehsud’s father said Anwar’s salary as an SSP was Rs113,772, but despite that, he has travelled to Dubai 74 times since 2012. “It is incomprehensible for an officer with a maximum salary of Rs113,772 to be able to afford as many trips. It is clear that the aforementioned trips have been financed through assets acquired beyond his means and in order to launder money.” Siddiqui requested that the SHC declare illegal the impugned notification of the home department with regard to Anwar’s confinement at his own house by declaring it a sub-jail.

Iqama cases

The SHC directed the counsel of petitioners who sought disqualification of two Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) MPAs for concealing their UAE-based Iqama in asset declaration before the Election Commission of Pakistan to satisfy the court about the maintainability of the petition as the tenure of the lawmakers has expired.

Petitioners Muhammad Zubair and Mir Punhal Khan Talpur submitted in their petitions that PPP MPAs and provincial ministers Syed Nasir Hussain Shah and Manzoor Wasan were declared as returned candidates from Sukkur and Khairpur respectively.

They submitted that both the MPAs have concealed their UAE-based Iqama in assets declaration before the election commission despite the fact that they remained MPAs and members of the cabinet, and no disclosure was made in their statements of assets and liabilities after becoming legislators.

Their counsel submitted that after the concealment of facts, the provincial ministers were neither righteous nor sagacious in terms of Article 63 of the Constitution and were liable to be disqualified from holding public offices.

He said that though the tenure of the MPAs has expired, the direction should be issued to the finance secretary to recover all the benefits that they withdrew while they were members of the provincial assembly.

The SHC’s division bench headed by Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar directed the counsel to satisfy the court about the maintainability of the petition, as whether the court can issue such a declaration after the expiry of their tenure, and adjourned the hearing until June 5.

The high court received one more petition that seeks the disqualification of another lawmaker of the PPP, namely Sardar Khan Chandio, for concealing his UAE-based Iqama. Petitioner Mumtaz Ali Chandio submitted that the MPA concealed his source of income before the election commission, and requested that the court disqualify and de-notify the MPA for making a false declaration before the electoral body while filing his nomination papers.