US citizen’s deportation: FIA asked to produce interior ministry’s original notification

Barrett was sent to Adiala jail on judicial remand on August 12th

RAWALPINDI: A magistrate on Wednesday directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to produce the original notification issued by the interior ministry for deportation of blacklisted US citizen Matthew Barrett.

Duty Magistrate Ayyaz Rafique did not accept a photocopy of the notification submitted by the FIA Sub-Inspector Rana Ikram seeking release of Barrett from Adiala jail.

The judge asked the FIA investigators to produce the original notification for deportation of the US citizen and adjourned the hearing till Thursday.

Barrett was arrested on August 6 at the Benazir Bhutto International Airport, Islamabad.

He was sent to Adiala jail by the court on judicial remand on August 12th when the FIA said that the US national would be deported from Pakistan.

Advocate Muhammad Nazeer, who represented FIA Sub-Inspector Raja Asif Raza and his son Constable Ehtashamul Haq, while talking to The Express Tribune said the court was not ready to accept photocopies of the notification for Barrett’s deportation.

Nazeer said that it was discriminatory to his clients who were arrested for allowing Barrett to enter Pakistan.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 18^th, 2016.