A Pakistani court on Monday acquitted all accused, including former senior superintendent of police (SSP) in Karachi Rao Anwar, of the murder of Naqeebullah Mehsud five years after he was gunned down in the outskirts of Karachi.
Karachi's anti-terrorism court said that the prosecution still needs to prove its case against all the accused, Rao and 17 others.
Mehsud’s murder prompted widespread protests and triggered an outpouring of condemnation from civil society against Rao Anwar and his team.
Rao Anwar was Karachi's police chief in 2018. Later, he and 17 others were arrested after a raid and went on trial in 2019.
The court on Monday stated that the prosecution still needs to prove its case against the accused.
Soon after his acquittal, Anwar told reporters that the case against him was fake and the "false allegation" against him had been proven wrong.
"This is the victory of justice," Rao added.
Anwar, in the court, denied the charges, claiming the person killed was a wanted terrorist whose called Naseemullah and not Naqeebullah, and that "he was a wanted militant about which advertisements were also given, including [in] newspapers."