Usman Anwar

Usman Anwar is a Pakistani police officer who is Inspector General of the Punjab Police in the province of Punjab, Pakistan since 24 January 2023. Under him, Punjab Police has faced allegations of arbitrary arrests, custodial torture, harassment, and forced disappearances.

Usman Anwar
Inspector General of the Punjab Police
Assumed office
24 January 2023
Preceded byMohammad Aamir Zulfiqar Khan
Personal details
NationalityPakistani

Career

Anwar joined Punjab Police in 1995. He had been serving as the Additional Inspector General (AIG) of the Motorway Police before his appointment as the Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) in January 2023. Anwar has held various positions within the police force in Pakistan, including as an Additional IG of the Special Branch in Punjab, and as the District Police Officer (DPO) of Okara and Sargodha. He has also worked in the Telecommunication and Elite Police departments.[1]

Anwar's appointment as the Punjab IGP was part of a significant bureaucratic reshuffle by the federal government, which saw him replace Mohammad Aamir Zulfiqar Khan, who was ordered to report to the Establishment Division in Islamabad. Alongside Anwar's appointment, Ghulam Muhammad Dogar was removed from his positions as the Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) of Lahore and as the convener of a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) investigating an attack on Imran Khan, the chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.[1]

Controversies

Killing of Ali Bilal
Main article: Killing of Ali Bilal

A special needs supporter of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Ali Bilal alias Zille Shah, was arrested by Punjab Police from outside Zaman Park on 9 March 2023. He was last videoed alive in a police van before his dead body was brought to the hospital.[2][3] The autopsy report revealed that Bilal was tortured and had excessive bleeding from a head injury.[4] Anwar, in a press conference, claimed that Bilal was released the same day and was a victim of a traffic accident meanwhile, PTI, including its chief, Imran Khan maintained that Bilal died of custodial torture and demanded a judicial inquiry into the matter.[5]

Crackdown Against PTI

In the aftermath of the May 9 riots, Punjab Police initiated a crackdown against PTI under Anwar's watch.[6] Leaders and workers of PTI were arrested and frivolously rearrested after being released by courts. Rights groups, including Amnesty International, raised concern over arbitrary arrests, custodial torture, and forced disappearances through police and other government agencies.[7][8] The families of PTI leaders who had gone underground were also harassed in police raids that saw the looting and pillaging of their houses, as well as abduction of relatives.[8][9][10]

Abduction of Imran Riaz Khan

One of the most popular journalists in the country, Imran Riaz Khan, was arrested by Punjab Police. Despite a 30-day detention order, he was released the same night and was abducted by unknown people from outside Sialkot Central Jail where he was incarcerated.[11] In a sub judice case, Anwar, expressed his inability to locate the journalist and put the onus on Pakistan's military intelligence agencies for his disappearance.[12][13]

References
  1. "Usman Anwar appointed new Punjab IGP". 24 January 2023.
  2. Malik, Mansoor; Gabol, Imran (2023-03-09). "PTI claims worker killed in police crackdown". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2023-07-12.
  3. Nasir, Abbas (2023-03-12). "Zille Shah was special indeed". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2023-07-12.
  4. Desk, BR Web (2023-03-09). "PTI activist's autopsy confirms torture, excessive bleeding from head injury". Brecorder. Retrieved 2023-07-12.
  5. "LHC moved for judicial inquiry into death of Zille Shah". Daily Times. 2023-03-14. Retrieved 2023-07-12.
  6. Shah, Saeed (2023-05-25). "Pakistan's Opposition Begins to Crack After Thousands Arrested". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  7. "Pakistan: End crackdown on political opposition". Amnesty International. 2023-05-23. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  8. "Repeated arrests, filthy cells in Pakistan: Inside Sharif government's crackdown on PTI". Firstpost. 2023-06-06. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  9. "Imran blasts govt for crossing all limits of 'barbarism'". Pakistan Today. 2023-06-15. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  10. Malik, Mansoor (2023-06-05). "PTI defectors set up 'Democrats' group under Murad Raas". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2023-06-28.
  11. "LHC seeks CCTV footage of anchorperson's release from jail". The Express Tribune. 2023-05-13. Retrieved 2023-06-10.
  12. "Court vows to 'spare no one' if harm comes to Imran Riaz". The Express Tribune. 2023-05-22. Retrieved 2023-06-10.
  13. "Where is the Pakistani TV anchor who has been missing for 12 days?". rsf.org. 2023-05-23. Retrieved 2023-05-26.
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