A U.S. black listed serious human rights abuser Police officer Rao Anwar acquitted by Pakistani court today in Karachi, Pakistan.
An anti-terrorism court in Karachi on Monday acquitted all accused, including former Malir SSP Rao Anwar and others in the Naqeebullah Mehsud murder case.
On December10-2019 Rao Anwar was blacklisted by the United State department of Treasury for the alleged crimes. In a press release by the department of treasury was said, that Rao Anwar is involved in 400 murder cases which he carried out through fake police encounters. According to the press releases “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. Anwar helped to lead a network of police and criminal thugs that were allegedly responsible for extortion, land grabbing, narcotics, and murder. Anwar is designated for being responsible for or complicit in, or having directly or indirectly engaged in, serious human rights abuse”. Statement Linkhttps://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sm852
Anwar had retired from police service while faced trial for killing four men, including South Waziristan youngster Naqeeb Mehsud, in a fake encounter.
After protests by the civil society and anger on social media, the Supreme Court had taken suo motu notice and ordered Anwar’s arrest. Protests staged by the Mehsud tribe and the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM) had also lent impetus to the call for justice for Naqeeb but today the Pakistan anti-terrorism court in Karachi acquitted Rao Anwar.
