US Sanctions Pakistan Police Official Rao Anwar Khan for 'Serious Human Rights Abuse'

Washington DC: On the occasion of International Human Rights Day, the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control announced action against 18 individuals located in Burma, Pakistan, Libya, Slovakia, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and South Sudan for their roles in serious human rights abuse. One of them is Rao Anwar Khan accused of staging hundreds of extra judicial killings also known as 'encounter' killings.

Here is what the official statement says:

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.

Rao Anwar is currently on bail. Human rights groups have been demanding tough action against him and his associates in the Karachi police for justice.

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