The Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar on Friday took notice of the alleged extrajudicial killing of Naqeebullah Mehsud during an encounter in Karachi and sought a report from IGP Sindh within seven days.

Earlier today, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Rao Anwar appeared before a three-member committee in Karachi investigating the killing of four alleged terrorists killed during an ‘encounter’ by a police team in the port city, said Express News.

A high-level committee, headed by Additional IG CTD Sanaullah Abbasi and comprising DIG East Sultan Khawaja and DIG South Azad Khan, was formed on PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s orders to investigate Naqeebullah’s, a 27-year-old hailing from South Waziristan, killing who was reportedly shot dead in the same encounter.

On January 13, SSP Anwar had claimed to have gunned down four members of the defunct Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in an encounter near Shah Latif Town in Karachi. According to him, Naqeebullah had links with the banned TTP and was living in Karachi’s Sohrab Goth area using a fake name.

However, the family members of Naseemullah alias Naqeebullah claim that he was an aspiring model and was killed in a fake police encounter.

Meanwhile, Sindh Home Minister Sohail Anwar Siyal directed DIG Police South Zone, Karachi, to conduct an inquiry into the matter and submit findings within 15 days after the news of Naqeebullah’s killing spread on the social media and protests were staged in varying parts of the country accusing SSP Anwar of staging fake encounters for personal benefits.

SSP Anwar, also called the ‘encounter specialist’ by some, is known for conducting ‘encounters’ of controversial nature. In the past too, he has claimed to have killed several belonging to banned militant outfits and political party workers with alleged linked with Indian spy agency RAW.

Who was Naqeebullah Mehsud?

Talking to The Express Tribune earlier, Rehman Mehsud, a cousin of Naqeebullah described him as a handsome young lad with attractive features.

A father of three, Naqeebullah, used to religiously post his photos on social media, receiving likes and comments from friends and others, added Rehman.

KARACHI: At least one person was killed and six others were wounded when unidentified armed men hurled a hand grenade at a cloth market in Kharadar area of Karachi on Thursday.

Police and Rangers reached the site of the attack near Akhwan Masjid Kharadar and the victims were rushed to the Civil Hospital.

The injured were identified as Muhammad Ismail (39), Waqas (30), Abdul Sattar (65), Babu (35), Abdul Aziz (70) and Usama (25). The identity of the dead, almost 70 to 75 years of age, is yet to be ascertained, said police.

Police officials suspect the involvement of a Lyari gang behind the attack who hurled the grenade after the shopkeepers refused to pay extortion money.

Home Minister and IGP Sindh have taken notice of the incident and sought a report from District City SSP.

In April last year, at least six security officials, as well as civilians were injured in two separate grenade attacks along the Torkham crossing of the Pak-Afghan border.

In September of last year, at least seven people were wounded when motorcyclists hurled a hand grenade near the residence of Lyari kingpin Uzair Baloch.

Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif has said that Bangladesh was involved in sabotaging a South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation Conference (SAARC) head of states conference in Pakistan, Express News reports.

The foreign minster was responding to the questions of National Assembly (NA) members on Thursday about relations with Bangladesh.

Asif told the assembly that Islamabad has been making efforts for the normalization of relations with Dhaka.
“Pakistan does not desire any tension in relations with regional countries, including Bangladesh,” he said, according to Radio Pakistan.

“Bangladesh is not implementing the tripartite agreement of 1974 and over the last few years several capital punishments have been executed in connection with the 1971 war,” Asif told the lawmakers.

According to the minister, Pakistan has consistently urged government of Bangladesh to uphold its commitment as per the tripartite agreement.

“Pakistan desires to move ahead but the other side will also have to reciprocate to our efforts,” he stressed.

The foreign minister said the sixth round of the bilateral political consultations with Bangladesh is expected to take place in the first half of this year in Dhaka.

He expressed the confidence that this would provide an opportunity to strengthen the bilateral relations between the two countries.

LARKANA/KARACHI: As the rice harvest season is in full swing in upper Sindh where farmers are busy reaping the rewards of their yearlong labour, wealthy beggars have begun arriving in hoardes on motorcycles, cars and even mini-jeeps.

Every day these paradoxically wealthy beggars visit different villages and beg farmers and landowners for harvested grain. There are two kinds of people who visit these areas every year to beg – some come with requests for help while others call themselves ‘Syeds’ and ask for contributions. This practice is not confined to a particular caste or religion – Muslims, non-Muslims and people from various tribes and communities have made this their source of income.

Rahib Shah, a 75 year old man who lives in Larkana city, used to visit villages on foot and collect harvested grains. He now has purchased a mini-jeep and travels with three ‘helpers’ to help him collect the rice and transport it to a storage facility he built in the area. “What can we do? He calls himself a Syed so we give him [donations] in the name of the descendants of the Holy Prophet (pbuh) who laid down their lives for our religion,” explained Mohammad Panah, a resident of Boohar village in Larkana. Rahib is not the only one to operate in the area – dozens of others wander around in the winter season to beg.
Shankar, 57, a scheduled caste Hindu who started begging when he was a teenager, now owns a three-storey building in Bagri Muhalla, Larkana in which he has rented out five shops. He and his wife travel around during harvesting season on a motorcycle and ask farmers for grains.

“He is the richest person in his entire family, but has not given up his habit of begging,” said Rizwan Ahmed, a local resident. “The couple embarks on their journey and spends the entire day wandering from village to village before coming home at sunset.” Ahmed added that they have built storage units where they store the harvested grain and later sell it. Begging is, however, a crime and Section 7 (1) of the Vagrancy Act 1958 says, “The police, without an order from a magistrate and without a warrant, can arrest and search any person who appears to him to be a vagrant.” The Sindh Children Act, 1955 also bans children beggars. “Under this law a maximum punishment for children begging forcibly or willingly is one year with a fine,” said Iqbal Detho, a civil society activist who has worked on this issue extensively. According to sociologists, however, there are a number of factors behind begging.

“There are organised gangs of beggars while others are forced to beg because of land fragmentation, poverty and a lack of resources to earn a livelihood,” said Detho. “In towns and cities, begging has turned into an organised business. Some gangs deploy their members in specific locations that are leased out for a specific time,” he explained. “There was a time when people in rural areas used to spare a share of their crop yield for Syeds, but this trend is fading away with each passing day. No popular gadi or Syed family follows the trend anymore because they are now [involved in politics] and have become rich,” he said. Detho added that some splinter groups and other Syeds still follow the tradition. According to him, donkey carts and horse carriages were the earlier modes of transport but recently they have started travelling in motorised vehicles.

Hasan Manghanhar, a beggar who lives in Larkana city, said that begging is a profession they have inherited from their forefathers. “Four of us [family members] go out to beg and bring back a sum that is enough to run our kitchen,” he said, adding that begging is not as easy as others think it to be.

“People don’t give money unless you know the way to get it out of them,” he explained, adding that even beggars have to work hard to meet their targets. “I prefer to stay in the city and earn hardly Rs500 to Rs1,000 per day,” said Manghanhar, adding that many of his relatives have become millionaires from begging yet they still beg. “Once you start, it is difficult to give up this profession,” he said.

KARACHI: A key police officer, commonly known as ‘encounter specialist’, survived a suicide attack late on Tuesday night in Karachi.

“A suicide bomber hit his motorcycle with my armoured vehicle when my convoy reached Malir Cantt area via a link road. He blew himself up after he fell down on the road,” SSP Rao Anwar told reporters after the incident.

“His accomplices then opened fire on my convoy. My jawans retaliated from inside the APC [armoured personnel carrier] and killed the two attackers,” he added.
A few militants also reportedly managed to escape under the cover of fire while the police and Rangers were busy in conducting search operation in the area.

After the attack, extra contingent of police and Rangers reached the site, cordoned off the area and collected evidence. Experts from the bomb disposal squad also reached the site, where media was not allowed to enter.

Police said at least three militants ambushed the convoy. They said militants of different extremist outfits might be behind the attack. Later, Sindh Home Minister Sohail Anwar Siyal phoned Anwar and inquired after his health. He also sought a report on the incident from DIG East.

The SSP, who is posted in District Malir for around six years, has killed in various encounters over 150 militants of various banned outfits including Dai’sh, Taliban, al-Qaeda, Jamaatul Ahrar and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi. The police officer has faced similar attempts on his life in the past as well.

In 2012, five people were killed and several others were injured when Anwar’s ACP came under attack in a bomb blast while he was making his way to the Malir court.

In 2015, his convoy came under attack outside his house in Malir Cantt. All policemen, travelling in the convoy, had remained unhurt but all the attackers were killed in retaliatory fire.