British Pakistani’s case: Extradition process in progress, interior ministry informs IHC
After extradition, Mehmood would be tried in a crown court for his role in an arson attack in Huddersfield
Masroor said that amnesty through compromise being always available to petitioner under the Islamic and domestic law and to grant extradition in the circumstances was forbidden under the international law. PHOTO: IHC WEBSITE
ISLAMABAD:
The Ministry of Interior informed on Monday the Islamabad High Court that the process to extradite a British national of Pakistani origin, Shahid Mehmood, facing charges of killing eight British citizens of a single family, was in process and might take a month or so to conclude.
A deputy secretary of the ministry submitted reply before a division bench comprising Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani during the hearing of Mehmood’s intra-court appeal (ICA) challenging his extradition to the United Kingdom, and requesting the court to set aside orders of a single bench.
Barriers in the extradition were removed after the IHC Chief Justice, Mohammad Anwar Khan Kasi, dismissed his petition challenging extradition to the islands on June 22.
The single bench’s orders enabled the federal government to extradite the accused to the UK.
After extradition, Mehmood would be tried in a crown court for his role in an arson attack in Huddersfield that left eight people — all British-Pakistanis — dead.
On May 12, 2002, Mehmood and three accomplices — Shahid Iqbal, Nazar Hussain and Shakeel Shahzad — threw petrol bombs in a house located at Osborne Road in Huddersfield, England.
The ensuing fire killed five children three adults from the same family — Zaibun Nisa, 54, Nefessa Aziz, 35, Muhammad Ateequr Rehman, 18, Tayyaba Batool, 13, Rabia Batool, 10, Ateeqa Nawaz, five, Aneesa Nawaz, two, and six-month-old Najeeba Nawaz.
The four men were arrested soon after. While under trial and on bail, Mehmood had fled to Pakistan.
Subsequently, when the British government raised the matter with Pakistan through diplomatic channels and sought his extradition, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) arrested him on January 22, 2015, and later on produced before the additional deputy commissioner of Islamabad.
In his statement before the commissioner, Mehmood said that he was arrested by the British police on May 12, 2002, and was released after being interrogated for his alleged involvement in the Huddersfield family murder case.
In the ICA, Shahid’s counsel Barrister Masroor Shah said that Shahid came to Pakistan to escape persecution.
He added that Mehmood’s brother, Amjad Hassan, was also arrested and was charged with assisting offenders and attempting to prevent the course of justice but charges were later dismissed against him.
Masroor said that the petitioner was entitled to be discharged as the commissioner failed to exercise jurisdiction legally.
He added that the impugned order concluding the prima-facieness of the case in UK against the petitioner was a result of misreading of record and calling for the “judicial review.”
The counsel said that arrest warrants were issued after 10 years of occurrence and there were no reasonable explanation submitted to justify the delay.
In the petition, Masroor revealed that Shahid was also facing a suit for conjugal rights and maintenance filed by his wife and the children before the family court, Rawalpindi.
He added that petitioner was attending proceedings and unless and until proceedings remained pending the extradition proceedings would be a cause of prejudice to the petitioner’s fundamental rights.
Masroor said that amnesty through compromise being always available to petitioner under the Islamic and domestic law and to grant extradition in the circumstances was forbidden under the international law.
The court adjourned the case till August 29.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 19th, 2016.
The Ministry of Interior informed on Monday the Islamabad High Court that the process to extradite a British national of Pakistani origin, Shahid Mehmood, facing charges of killing eight British citizens of a single family, was in process and might take a month or so to conclude.
A deputy secretary of the ministry submitted reply before a division bench comprising Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani during the hearing of Mehmood’s intra-court appeal (ICA) challenging his extradition to the United Kingdom, and requesting the court to set aside orders of a single bench.
Barriers in the extradition were removed after the IHC Chief Justice, Mohammad Anwar Khan Kasi, dismissed his petition challenging extradition to the islands on June 22.
The single bench’s orders enabled the federal government to extradite the accused to the UK.
After extradition, Mehmood would be tried in a crown court for his role in an arson attack in Huddersfield that left eight people — all British-Pakistanis — dead.
On May 12, 2002, Mehmood and three accomplices — Shahid Iqbal, Nazar Hussain and Shakeel Shahzad — threw petrol bombs in a house located at Osborne Road in Huddersfield, England.
The ensuing fire killed five children three adults from the same family — Zaibun Nisa, 54, Nefessa Aziz, 35, Muhammad Ateequr Rehman, 18, Tayyaba Batool, 13, Rabia Batool, 10, Ateeqa Nawaz, five, Aneesa Nawaz, two, and six-month-old Najeeba Nawaz.
The four men were arrested soon after. While under trial and on bail, Mehmood had fled to Pakistan.
Subsequently, when the British government raised the matter with Pakistan through diplomatic channels and sought his extradition, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) arrested him on January 22, 2015, and later on produced before the additional deputy commissioner of Islamabad.
In his statement before the commissioner, Mehmood said that he was arrested by the British police on May 12, 2002, and was released after being interrogated for his alleged involvement in the Huddersfield family murder case.
In the ICA, Shahid’s counsel Barrister Masroor Shah said that Shahid came to Pakistan to escape persecution.
He added that Mehmood’s brother, Amjad Hassan, was also arrested and was charged with assisting offenders and attempting to prevent the course of justice but charges were later dismissed against him.
Masroor said that the petitioner was entitled to be discharged as the commissioner failed to exercise jurisdiction legally.
He added that the impugned order concluding the prima-facieness of the case in UK against the petitioner was a result of misreading of record and calling for the “judicial review.”
The counsel said that arrest warrants were issued after 10 years of occurrence and there were no reasonable explanation submitted to justify the delay.
In the petition, Masroor revealed that Shahid was also facing a suit for conjugal rights and maintenance filed by his wife and the children before the family court, Rawalpindi.
He added that petitioner was attending proceedings and unless and until proceedings remained pending the extradition proceedings would be a cause of prejudice to the petitioner’s fundamental rights.
Masroor said that amnesty through compromise being always available to petitioner under the Islamic and domestic law and to grant extradition in the circumstances was forbidden under the international law.
The court adjourned the case till August 29.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 19th, 2016.