WASHINGTON, May 30 A Pakistani citizen, Mir Yaqub Bizenjo, has appeared on a White House list of the world's four leading drug barons.

On Friday evening, the White House issued an order signed by President Barack Obama, seeking sanctions against four alleged drug smugglers from Pakistan, Colombia, Venezuela and Afghanistan under a federal law known as the Kingpin Act.

The US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control issued a notice saying that Mr Bizenjo had two given names, Mohammad Hyat or Mir Yaqub. But he was better known by his alias, Imam Bheel.

He operates from Jiwani, Turbat and Gwadar while he has two dates of birth, one showing that he was born in 1946 while the other indicating that he was born in 1956. He uses both in his travel documents.

The US Treasury identifies him as a Pakistani national. Related data identify him as a drug baron of Makran, who has been a traditional ally of the BNP. In 2002, Mr Bizenjo also vowed to work for the success of General Musharraf through front-page ads in newspapers.

Also on the list is Haji Juma Khan of Afghanistan, Daniel Rendon Herrera of Colombia and Walid Makled Garcia of Venezuela.

Opinion

Editorial

Iranian tragedy
21 May, 2024

Iranian tragedy

THE tragic helicopter crash on Sunday, in which Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi, foreign minister Hossein...
Circular debt woes
21 May, 2024

Circular debt woes

THE alleged corruption and ineptitude of the country’s power bureaucracy is proving very costly. New official data...
Reproductive health
21 May, 2024

Reproductive health

IT is naïve to imagine that reproductive healthcare counts in Pakistan, where women from low-income groups and ...
Wheat price crash
Updated 20 May, 2024

Wheat price crash

What the government has done to Punjab’s smallholder wheat growers by staying out of the market amid crashing prices is deplorable.
Afghan corruption
20 May, 2024

Afghan corruption

AMONGST the reasons that the Afghan Taliban marched into Kabul in August 2021 without any resistance to speak of ...
Volleyball triumph
20 May, 2024

Volleyball triumph

IN the last week, while Pakistan’s cricket team savoured a come-from-behind T20 series victory against Ireland,...