Seven Policemen Acquitted in Naqeebullah Mehsud Case Over Lack of Evidence

An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Karachi acquitted seven policemen on Saturday in the Naqeebullah Mehsud murder case, citing lack of evidence. This brings the total number of acquittals in the case to 25, with no suspects remaining under prosecution.

The individuals acquitted include former Station House Officer (SHO) Amanullah Marwat, as well as Shoaib Shooter, Guda Hussain, Sadaqat Hussain, Riaz Ahmed, Raja Shamim, and Mohsin Abbas. The defence lawyers pointed out that no witnesses appeared before the court to testify that the police encounter had been staged.

The court was informed by prosecutors that the seven acquitted individuals had previously been absconders, surrendering only after the Anti-Terrorism Court had delivered its initial verdicts in the case. Prosecutors also confirmed that former Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Malir Rao Anwar and 18 other officers and personnel had already been acquitted in previous hearings.

The acquittals conclude a case that began in 2018 after the killing of Naqeebullah Mehsud, a 27-year-old from Waziristan, in Karachi. Mehsud and three others were accused of terrorism and killed in what was later found to be a fake police encounter, an incident that led to national protests against Rao Anwar and his team.

A committee headed by Counter-Terrorism Department Additional Inspector General Sanaullah Abbasi submitted a report to the Supreme Court verifying that Mehsud was killed in a staged encounter. Following this, First Information Reports (FIRs) were registered and many in the encounter team went into hiding.

In March 2019, the ATC indicted Rao Anwar and others for Mehsud's murder, though all accused denied the charges. By January 2023, the court had acquitted Anwar and the remaining accused, stating the prosecution failed to prove its case. The latest verdict officially clears all suspects named in connection with the killing.