A Pakistani policeman fires teargas shell towards demonstrators during a protest against the killing of a Naqeebullah in an alleged police encounter, in Karachi on Friday. — AFP

KARACHI: Pakistani authorities yesterday suspended a senior police officer over the killing of a man in an alleged staged shootout that sparked anger and protests nationwide. Senior superintendent Rao Anwar and other officers last week killed at least four men during what they claimed was a raid on a suspected Taleban hideout in the port city of Karachi.

Relatives of one of the dead men, who was identified as Naqeebullah Mehsud, 27, from South Waziristan tribal district, rejected the claims of militant links and said he was an aspiring model who arrived in Karachi in 2008 in search of job and had been running a shop in the city.

The killing led to a national outcry after Mehsud's modeling pictures posted on social media went viral, triggering protest rallies in several cities. A government committee interrogated Anwar on Friday and recommended his immediate removal "to ensure fair and transparent inquiry of the incident and investigation of the case", according to the official notification.

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