A young lawyer from the State capital Anees Ahmed has made the city proud by adding another feather in the cap of Bhopal. Born and brought up in the walled city, this legal expert has remained instrumental in the United Nation’s (UN) endeavours of bringing world’s some of the most dreaded dictators to book and now is busy restoration of peace in several trouble-torn countries in Africa.
Anees Ahmed, a resident of Koh-e-Fiza area, has worked with the United Nations for past 12 years and at present is anchoring United Nation’s peace building endeavours as the Chief of legal Affairs of United Nations’ Peacekeeping Mission in liberia.
Part of several UN peacekeeping missions in African countries, Anees while talking to The Pioneer said, “The UN first acts through direct intervention in trouble torn countries for restoring peace through military force and later on engages in peace building means establishment of judiciary, formulation of laws, helping government agencies and so on.”
He lauded India’s role in UN peacekeeping missions by saying that India was the largest contributor to these mission through personnel and financial assistance as well.
“India always remained first or second largest contributor of personnel in such missions,” he claimed, revealing that India was the first country in the world which posted all women CRPF unit in liberia six years ago.
Among prominent cases he was part of UN’s legal action against some of the heinous crimes against humanity included war crimes of Yugoslavia, genocide of around 33 lakh persons by then Khmer Rouge in Cambodia during 1975-79 and genocide of around 10 lakh persons in Rwanda in 1994.
Anees had completed his schooling from Kendriya Vidyalaya Bairagarh. Then he had pursued law courses from Delhi University and london School of Economics.
After he undertook law practice for over three years at Supreme Court, he then got the chance to be a fellow of International Court of Justice.
Having been to close to 100 countries, Ahmed opined that formulation of international laws and their implementation has been significant in last two decades post the cold war. Once trouble-torn Africa is now a much better place, he said attributing this welcome change primarily to direct intervention of the international community.
As he wanders across the globe as part of UN peace missions, he still carries a piece of Bhopal within. “I miss tea of Budhwara and cricket played in by lanes of that area where I spent my early life,” he said adding that he mostly remains in African countries where cricket and tea are strange things for locals and mouth watering delicacy lassi which he enjoyed in Bhopal for years is a ‘never heard in life’ thing for them.