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The case that gave the birth to the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement and under Manzoor Pashteen, has taken another twist, this time angering the whole of Pakistan in the process. You might remember the extra-judicial murder of young Naqeebullah Mehsud, a cloth merchant who was wrongly profiled as a terrorist and murdered.
Naqeebullah was murdered in cold blood along with two other people after a staged encounter. Initially, Anwar and his team had defended their actions, stating that Mehsud was a terrorist. What they didn’t know was that Naqeeb was a social media celebrity, with a following of 26,000 on Facebook.
As soon as news of Naqeeb’s death reached social media, protests all across the country began. Later on, Anwar had fled and gone underground for a month and a half, finally surrendering to Pakistan’s top court. In the latest emergence from the case, the Joint Investigation Team set up against Rao Anwar has offered him a ‘deal’ of leniency, something that is adding salt to the wounds of the Pashtuns.
Anwar is said to have allegedly killed 440+ Pashtuns in the cover of extra-judicial ‘encounters’, for which, hundreds of families await justice. Naqeeb’s death has started a movement against the State of Pakistan, but still, Anwar is being offered a deal of protection? That too, for helping the police force arrest 5 absconders of his team, who too were involved in the same case.
Food for thought or news for the fool, this step is more like dust to the eyes of the common man, in a bid to help Anwar and other perpetrators involved in the extra-judicial killings, especially those of Pashtuns from FATA. Social media, once again, has not taken very kindly to the news and is furious as ever.
This is how people are reacting to Anwar being offered a ‘deal’
How ironic ! JIT offers lenient treatment to #RaoAnwar if he facilitates in nabbing his sub-ordinates who have absconded? Is this justice? https://t.co/iC9LL0NfJI
— ENGIYAH (@yasiralihamza) April 17, 2018
This is totally unjustified the criminal #RaoAnwar must be punished #JusticeForNaqeebhttps://t.co/7GtSLhmNG8
— Palwasha Abbas (@Palwasha_Abbas) April 17, 2018
Pashtuns blood is for sale, JIT can forgive Rao Anwar, we Pashtuns have to understand our status in the eyes of Islamabad settlers…. otherwise keep watching your dear ones crushed into pieces like this poor boy. https://t.co/Z7YIcuQHgL
— Akhtar (@Akhtar_Pashtun) April 17, 2018
How can JIT offer a deal to Rao Anwar who according to Sindh police is responsible for the murders of hundreds of people in fake encounters? #JusticeForNaqeeb https://t.co/b9UOwqusvR
— Afrasiab Khattak (@a_siab) April 17, 2018
5) “#Ptm are a bunch of angry pukhtun boys. “ Thats condescending.
Mansplain ptm. Accept it for the truth.They should know because they experienced it u and i haven’t.
Who is protecting rao anwar?
Who is vulnerable now? @mosharrafzaidi 4/4— Nilofer Afridi Qazi (@ninoqazi) April 17, 2018
(JIT offers Rao Anwar ‘deal’ in Naqeebullah ‘encounter’ case: sources). So Killers are treated with kid gloves while a female elected member of the parliament is mocked by the Supreme Court @Marriyum_A https://t.co/GOBshfS9zS
— Yousuf Nazar (@YousufNazar) April 17, 2018
