WHILE the extrajudicial killing of Naqeebullah Mehsud in Karachi last month has truly shaken the nation’s conscience over the detestable practice of staged encounters, one of the central characters in this sordid saga — fugitive police officer Rao Anwar — has yet to be captured. Mr Anwar was last seen at Islamabad airport trying to flee the country on a Dubai-bound flight on Jan 23 before he was stopped by immigration officials.

Since then, there has been no trace of the absconding officer, despite the fact that the Supreme Court has given a deadline for his arrest and called upon the intelligence agencies and FIA to help the Sindh police nab him.

On Tuesday, a Sindh police team arrived in the capital to quiz officials and workers at Islamabad airport about the now suspended police officer’s last-known whereabouts. This is the second police team to come to the federal capital from Karachi to look into the case.

It is highly bizarre that in this day and age such a high-profile suspect remains on the run.

Serious questions need to be asked about how Rao Anwar managed to slip away from the airport after he was denied boarding, and where he has been since. It is hard to fathom how the suspect can remain ‘incognito’ in the federal capital area — if that is where he remains — as this is supposed to be one of the most secure areas in the country.

The security forces need to double their efforts to trace him; this is important in order to investigate the case and punish those involved in wrongfully killing Naqeebullah. Bringing the perpetrators to justice will also send a strong message to rogue cops involved in staged encounters. Members of the Mehsud tribal jirga reiterated their demand for the arrest of Rao Anwar in their meeting with the prime minister on Tuesday.

The state needs to deliver on its promise of bringing Naqeebullah’s killers to justice; the first step towards this goal must be to arrest the main suspect.

Published in Dawn, February 8th, 2018