PHOTO: EXPRESS
ISLAMABAD: Rejecting reports that the US defence attaché who killed a Pakistani youth in a car accident last month may leave the country on a special plane, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has said it will not let the US official leave Pakistan at any cost.
Earlier, there were reports that a special US aircraft arrived at the Nur Khan Airbase on Saturday noon to take along Defence and Air Attaché Col Joseph Emanuel Hall who is facing travel restrictions after the April 7 car accident. The reports said Col Joseph was not granted clearance by the FIA to fly abroad.
“Colonel Joseph is on no-fly list. Whatever plane comes [to take along the attaché], we would not allow him to fly,” an official of FIA told The Express Tribune.
On April 7, Col Joseph jumped a red light at Islamabad’s Daman-e-Koh Chowk and hit a motorcycle. As a result, two riders of the bike suffered injuries and one of them, 22-year-old Ateeq Baig, later died.
Col Joseph was let go by the Islamabad police in line with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, 1961 which gives diplomat immunity from criminal prosecution. However, a first information report (FIR) of the incident was registered with Kohsar Police Station.
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) in a recent ruling had observed that the US military attaché does not enjoy absolute immunity. In its ruling on Friday, the IHC also granted two weeks to the Ministry of Interior to put Col Joseph’s name on Exit Control List (ECL).
Although Colonel Joseph is not on the ECL, his name has been blacklisted by the ministry, barring him to fly abroad. According to the ministry, putting somebody’s name on the ECL is a bit lengthy and complicated process. However, placing anybody’s name on the blacklist has almost the same implications as the ECL.
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Diplomatic ties between Pakistan and the US have not been very ideal of late, and some recent developments suggest they are further deteriorating.
After Col Joseph’s issue last month, the US State Department had announced that Pakistani diplomats would only be allowed to move around within the 40km radius in Washington DC. They would need to seek prior permission if they intended to travel beyond the prescribed limit.
Responding to the curbs, Pakistan on Friday imposed tit-for-tat restrictions on the US diplomats in the country.
Meanwhile, when asked, Foreign Office spokesperson Dr Muhammad Faisal said he was unaware of any developments related to the arrival of a US plane to take away Col Joseph. “I don’t know anything about it,” he maintained.
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