'Black listed' American national sent on 3-day remand

JIT probing Mathew Barrett’s visa, entry into Pakistan to review investigations today.

RAWALPINDI: A Rawalpindi court on Tuesday handed over blacklisted American national, who ‘snuck’ into Pakistan last week, to the FIA for three-days physical remand the custody of FIA.

The remand was granted as a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) prepares to meet today to review information obtained in investigations so far.

On Tuesday, Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Inspector Rana Kausar presented American Matthew Craig Barrett and Constable Ehtashamul Haq before an FIA court in Rawalpindi.

During Tuesday’s proceedings, Barret claimed that he had entered the country lawfully after obtaining a valid visa from the Pakistani consulate in Houston.

Barret refuted allegations of the FIA that his name was on the black-list in addition to an FIR against him. He claimed that the Supreme Court of Pakistan on December 13, 2011 set aside the government’s decision to ban his entry from the country, though he could not provide documents to support his claim.

He also denied having links with Haq and his father Sub-Inspector Raja Asif Raza.

“Barret has already told FIA investigators that the two accused men gave him no support in entering the country,” Haq’s lawyer Advocate Raja Muhamad Nazeer told the media.

Barret went on to tell the court that he had returned to Pakistan to explore the possibility of permanently settling in the country. The court was further told that he had married a Pakistani woman in 2008 though his wife and two children are currently in the US.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 10^th, 2016.