US blacklists former Karachi cop for ‘serious human rights abuse’

Rao Anwar, Senior Superintendent of Police, wanted in slaying of Pashtun youth Naqeeb Mehsud, was produced before the Anti-Terrorism Court on Saturday, April 21 amid tight security measures. (AN photo)
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Updated 11 December 2019
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US blacklists former Karachi cop for ‘serious human rights abuse’

  • Former district police chief Rao Anwar was granted bail in the Naqeebullah Mehsud murder case in July
  • Young Mehsud’s family welcomed the US decision, hoping he would also get justice in his own country

KARACHI: Family of Naqeebullah Mehsud, an aspiring model who was killed in a staged police encounter in January 2018, applauded the United States on Wednesday for adding former police officer Rao Anwar to its list of individuals responsible for committing human rights abuses in different parts of the world.

“During his tenure as the Senior Superintendent of Police in District Malir, Pakistan, Rao Anwar Khan (Anwar) was reportedly responsible for staging numerous fake police encounters in which individuals were killed by police, and was involved in over 190 police encounters that resulted in the deaths of over 400 people, including the murder of Naqeebullah Mehsood,” a handout circulated by the US Department of Treasury said.

Anwar, it further noted, led a network of police and criminal thugs that was allegedly involved in extortion, land grabbing, illegal drug trade, and murder.

“Anwar is designated for being responsible for or complicit in, or having directly or indirectly engaged in, serious human rights abuses,” the statement added.

The US Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), on the occasion of International Human Rights Day, took action against 18 individuals based in Burma, Pakistan, Libya, Slovakia, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and South Sudan for their roles in serious human rights abuses.

“The United States will not tolerate torture, kidnapping, sexual violence, murder, or brutality against innocent civilians,” said Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin. “America is the world leader in combating human rights abuse and we will hold perpetrators and enablers accountable wherever they operate.”

“Treasury’s action focuses on those who have killed, or ordered the killing of innocents who stood up for human rights including journalists, opposition members, and lawyers,” said Deputy Secretary Justin G. Muzinich.

Mehsud’s family said they were happy with the US decision and hoped they would also get justice in Pakistan.

Malik Hashim Mehsud, a member of the family, said the American move to sanction Anwar was commendable.

“The US sanctions against Rao Anwar or anyone violating human rights should be appreciated,” Mehsud told Arab News, adding that the case of Naqeebullah’s extra-judicial murder was pending in the Supreme Court of Pakistan and it was his family’s hope that justice would ultimately prevail.

“The sanctions imposed on Rao Anwar by the US treasury department should embarrass our criminal justice system and law enforcement agencies who have failed to provide justice so far and not launched an investigation into the killings of 444 individuals who were murdered by him,” a prominent activist and lawyer, Jibran Nasir, told Arab news.

Senior Superintendent of Police Rao Anwar claimed on January 13, 2018, that he had killed four terrorists who were associated with Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, and Daesh.

Four days later, on January 17, friends of Nasimullah Mehsud, popularly known as Naqeebullah Mehsud, claimed on social media that one of Anwar’s victims was known to them, adding that the 24-year-old man was an aspiring model, not a terrorist.

Later, the Supreme Court of Pakistan decided to take a look into the matter, prompting Anwar to abscond.

He surrendered to the court in March 2018 and remained under house arrest until he was granted bail in July 2019. Soon after that, Mehsud’s father, Muhammad Khan Mehsud, who passed away earlier this month, requested the country’s judiciary to cancel the bail.


Pakistan parliament calls for national response against ‘external sponsors’ of terror after Balochistan attacks

Updated 41 min 47 sec ago
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Pakistan parliament calls for national response against ‘external sponsors’ of terror after Balochistan attacks

  • Militants killed 50 people, including 17 law enforcers, in coordinated attacks across Balochistan last week
  • Resolution follows government accusations that India backed the assaults, a charge New Delhi denies

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s National Assembly on Tuesday adopted a resolution condemning a wave of militant attacks in the southwestern province of Balochistan and called for an immediate, coordinated national response against what it described as “external sponsors” of terrorism.

The resolution came days after separatist militants carried out coordinated gun and bomb attacks across multiple districts in Balochistan, targeting security installations and government facilities, in one of the deadliest flare-ups of violence in the province in recent months.

Pakistan’s State Minister for Interior Tallal Chaudry said the attacks on Friday and Saturday killed 50 people, including 33 civilians and 17 law enforcement personnel. State media reported on Monday that security forces had killed 177 militants since the assaults began.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said last week that the attacks, claimed by the separatist Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), were planned from India. New Delhi rejected the allegation as “baseless,” saying Islamabad was attempting to deflect attention from its internal challenges. Pakistan has long accused India of backing militant groups in Balochistan and the northwestern province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, charges India has consistently denied.

The parliamentary resolution, tabled by Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr. Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, said evidence from several militant incidents had highlighted “external patronage” of armed groups and raised “serious concerns, particularly regarding the role of India.”

“This house demands that an immediate, comprehensive, coordinated and multi-dimensional national response be ensured against these external sponsors and internal facilitators, including funding, smuggling, and propaganda networks, bringing together the political, diplomatic, military, intelligence, legal and narrative fronts,” the resolution stated, according to a copy seen by Arab News.

It said terrorism in Pakistan was being facilitated through logistical and operational support, financial assistance, training, medical treatment, and propaganda networks originating from certain neighboring countries.

The resolution expressed solidarity with victims and their families and praised Pakistan’s security forces for what it described as effective action against militants. It also voiced concern over militant networks increasingly involving women in attacks.

“This house expresses profound grief, sorrow, and concern over the fact that terrorist networks are attempting to exploit women and use them against the state and society through coercion, psychological pressure and blackmail,” it said.

Lawmakers called for national unity and urged political forces to rise above differences, vowing that the state would not compromise on the protection of its citizens or national security.

Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province by land area, has long faced a separatist insurgency that has intensified in recent years. Militants frequently target security forces, government officials, infrastructure projects, foreigners, and non-local workers.

The province holds vast reserves of minerals and hydrocarbons and is central to the multibillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship component of China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

Separatist groups such as the BLA accuse Islamabad of exploiting Balochistan’s natural resources while denying locals a fair share. Pakistan’s civilian and military leadership reject the claim and say they are investing in the province’s development.

Balochistan is home to vast reserves of minerals and hydrocarbons, and also to the multibillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship component of China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

Separatist militant groups such as the BLA blame Islamabad for exploiting Balochistan’s natural resources and denying locals a share in them. The military and civilian government reject these allegations and say they are investing in the province’s development.