Senior police official Rao Anwar was reinstated as Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Malir on Friday, following direct orders issued to Sindh police by Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, it has been learnt.

A notification in this regard was issued by the office of Inspector General of Sindh Police, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com.

IG Police A D Khowaja later told Dawn that Rao Anwar was appointed as Malir SSP on written order of the Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, as it was latter’s prerogative to appoint the SSP and DIG rank officer.

“Legally, I can’t refuse the chief minister’s written order for appointment of Rao Anwar as Malir SSP,” Khowaja replied briefly when contacted to confirm the matter.

Rao Anwar was suspended after he raided Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader Khawaja Izhar-ul-Hasan's house without the permission of the Sindh Assembly speaker.

He had also moved the Sindh High Court to challenge his suspension. Anwar said in his petition that the raid was conducted in accordance with the law. He had pleaded to the high court to declare his suspension orders illegal.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah had asked the Sindh inspector general to suspend Anwar for arresting Hasan without “taking the government into confidence”.

MQM leader Farooq Sattar, who was also present at the time of Hassan's arrest, had alleged that Anwar refused to show arrest warrants before taking Izhar into custody.

Following his suspension orders, Anwar had clarified before the media that permission from the speaker of the Sindh Assembly was not needed before the arrest of any lawmaker.

Anwar had referred to the arrested MQM leader as the “chief of target killers”.