Notices issued in plea against US diplomat

Father of accident victim wants air attaché put on ECL

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court on Thursday issued notices to the Ministry of Interior secretary, Islamabad inspector general of police and SHO Kohsar police station on a petition seeking directives for the federal government to place the name of US Embassy’s Defence and Air Attaché Colonel Joseph Emmanuel Hall on the Exit Control List (ECL) till the conclusion of a case against him.

Justice Aamer Farooq issued notices to the officials while hearing the petition of a man whose son was killed when the US diplomat hit a motorcyclist whilst jumping traffic signals in Islamabad.

A fast-moving Land Cruiser, driven by Col Hall, jumped the red light and hit a motorcycle carrying two men at the intersection of Margalla Road and 7th Avenue in Islamabad at around 3pm on Saturday. One of the men, Ateeq Mir, died on the spot while the other, Raheel Ahmed, got injured.



The petitioner Muhammad Idrees is the father of deceased Ateeq Mir. The father, employed as a security guard at the Islamabad Model College for Girls, Saidpur, is also the complainant in FIR No 168/2018 against the American diplomat at the Kohsar police station.

The petitioner, through his counsel Mirza Shahzad Akbar and Umer Gilani, approached the IHC and sought different directions for the respondents.

The petitioner requested the court to direct the IGP, the chief commissioner and the SHO to ensure that fair and transparent investigation is conducted with regard to the allegations in the FIR to arrest the accused person unless they are satisfied that the arrest is not necessary.



He also requested that the investigation should be completed at the earliest and the police should submit the report before the court for disciplinary proceedings against the police officials responsible for the illegalities alleged in the petition.

The petitioner also prayed to the court to direct the chief commissioner to submit a report regarding the investigation and the fate of similar incidents involving the death of Pakistani citizens by reckless driving by foreign diplomats in Islamabad.