Rao Anwar has, now, his demands. He wants the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP) to remove his name from Exit Control List (ECL). The reason Mr Anwar cites for his demand is a religious one. He wants to play the religious card as he asks the apex court to remove his name from ECL so that he can perform Umra. Then, he also wants to take care of some house chores as well. The house chores for the suspended police officer are more important than justice to be served. While demanding equal protection of the law for himself, Rao Anwar forgets that Naqeebullah Mahsud was denied the same right – who was murdered cold-bloodedly under his command. The murder of Naqeeb was nothing but violations of many fundamental rights that the Constitution of Pakistan grants to every citizen of the land.
Rao Anwar boasts of his bravery in his application before the court so that the apex court shows some leniency. However, bravery mutates into cruelty if the limitations of the law get violated. Exceeding the constraints of law is what Rao Anwar is best known for among people. It will be no surprise if he becomes absconder the moment he finds a relaxation to the restrictions on his “Freedom of Movement”, a right he eagerly wants to exercise.
While the government has put the names of many prominent people on ECL, why should Rao Anwar’s application create an exception? Putting anyone’s name on ECL is not abridging someone’s freedom of movement. Putting someone’s name on ECL becomes necessary, so that investigation process does not take ages. If Rao Anwar is so concerned for his right, he should cooperate with the investigation team and not rely on delaying tactics. The more he cooperates with the law enforcement authorities, the less time the investigation process will take. His cooperation with the police will automatically expedite the process, which in turn may grant him some time to perform his fatherly and religious duties.
Rao Anwar has already been offered too many concessions. Many people have seen these concessions as putting the notion of justice in jeopardy. The relaxations granted to Rao Anwar have angered many. Any further relaxation may not only delay the investigation process that is already taking place at a slow pace; allowing him to travel abroad will strengthen the people’s perception that powerful ones can tweak the law in their favour. The apex court consistently maintains that the rules cannot be changed to please one person decision on Rao’s application will tell us if the court abides by its words or not.