Hindustan Times ST (Jaipur)

China: US warship Karachi fake encounter triggers violating sovereignt­y debate on extrajudic­ial killings

- Reuters letters@hindustant­imes.com Imtiaz Ahmad letters@hindustant­imes.com

SHANGHAI:China’s ISLAMABAD SSP ANWAR IS SEEN AS CLOSE TO THE MILITARY AND PLAYED AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN OPERATIONS AGAINST TERRORISTS AND CRIMINALS SINCE 2016.

foreign ministry has accused a US warship of entering its territoria­l waters without permission and said it would take “necessary measures” to ensure its sovereignt­y is protected.

On the evening of Jan. 17, the missile destroyer USS Hopper came within 12 nautical miles of Huangyan Island in the South China Sea, the ministry said on its website on Saturday.

Huangyan Island is also known as the Scarboroug­h Shoal, a disputed territory in the South China Sea claimed by the Philippine­s as well as China.

China’s navy ordered the vessel to withdraw after determinin­g its identity, Lu Kang, China’s foreign ministry spokesman, was quoted as saying.

Lu said the ship violated China’s sovereignt­y and security interests and threatened the safety of China’s vessels and personnel in the vicinity.

The United States has criticised China for constructi­ng islands and military installati­ons in the region, saying they could be used to restrict free nautical movement.

US vessels have conducted a series of “freedom of navigation” patrols in the region.

China “firmly opposes” efforts to use freedom of navigation as an excuse to hurt its sovereignt­y and urges the United States to “correct its mistakes”, Lu said.

In a separate statement on Saturday, China’s defence ministry said the repeated dispatch of US warships to the region was “underminin­g regional peace and stability” and hurting bilateral relations.

: The death of a petty businessma­n in an apparent fake gun battle in the Pakistani port city of Karachi has resulted in the suspension of a top cop known as an “encounter specialist” and triggered a debate on extrajudic­ial killings.

Pakistan’s Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar on Friday took notice of the alleged extrajudic­ial killing of Naqeebulla­h Mehsud, a man from the restive South Waziristan tribal region, and sought a report from the police chief of Sindh province within a week.

SSP Rao Anwar, under scrutiny for alleged involvemen­t in the death of Mehsud, was removed from his post by inspector general of police AD Khawaja after an investigat­ion team recommende­d he be suspended.

Mehsud’s case featured prominentl­y on social media, with many people demanding action against Anwar. One commentato­r said it was not safe for Pashtospea­king to move in public in Karachi as they were being seen as terrorists.

Journalist Mazhar Abbas tweeted that with such “encounters”, the rate of extortion by police “rises significan­tly”.

Anwar, a controvers­ial police officer in Sindh, once told a crime reporter in an interview that he drew inspiratio­n from Indian gangster movies, and that his desire was to clean up Karachi and rid it of political and religious criminals.

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