FIA sends reminder to Interpol for red warrant against Musharraf
Prosecutor denies media reports that Interpol has rejected Pakistan's request to issue red warrant.
LAHORE:
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has sent another reminder to the Interpol on Wednesday, after waiting for two months for it to issue a red warrant against former president Pervez Musharraf in Benazir Bhutto’s murder case.
The FIA prosecutor confirmed that a reminder had been dispatched to the Interpol through the National Central Bureau (NCB).
Prosecutor of the case Chaudhry Zulfiqar, talking to The Express Tribune, also clarified media reports stating that the Interpol had rejected Pakistan’s request to issue a red warrant against Musharraf and said that the FIA has not received any such reply from them.
He denied media reports which said that the Interpol rejected the request on the grounds that Pakistani authorities and the FIA had sent insufficient documentation for the purpose of issuing a red warrant.
He clarified that more than two months ago, a letter issued by the Interpol stated that it could not issue a red warrant based on the evidences and the documentation presented for the arrest of the former president. The Interpol had also asked about the validity of the warrant issued against Musharraf by the Anti Terrorism Court Rawalpindi.
In reply to the letter, the FIA had immediately dispatched the summary of the case, the arrest warrant and documentation in addition to the investigation reports. It also included copies of statements by then director-general of National Crisis Management Cell (NCMC) of Ministry of Interior (MOI) Brigadier (retd) Javed Iqbal Cheema and former director general of Intelligence Bureau (IB) Ejaz Shah, and US-based journalist Marc Siegel’s email to Benazir Bhutto and copies of the orders issued by the anti-terrorism court and other relevant documents, Zulfiqar added.
He further said that that the FIA has clarified to the Interpol that the perpetual warrant of arrest is valid till the arrest of the accused.
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has sent another reminder to the Interpol on Wednesday, after waiting for two months for it to issue a red warrant against former president Pervez Musharraf in Benazir Bhutto’s murder case.
The FIA prosecutor confirmed that a reminder had been dispatched to the Interpol through the National Central Bureau (NCB).
Prosecutor of the case Chaudhry Zulfiqar, talking to The Express Tribune, also clarified media reports stating that the Interpol had rejected Pakistan’s request to issue a red warrant against Musharraf and said that the FIA has not received any such reply from them.
He denied media reports which said that the Interpol rejected the request on the grounds that Pakistani authorities and the FIA had sent insufficient documentation for the purpose of issuing a red warrant.
He clarified that more than two months ago, a letter issued by the Interpol stated that it could not issue a red warrant based on the evidences and the documentation presented for the arrest of the former president. The Interpol had also asked about the validity of the warrant issued against Musharraf by the Anti Terrorism Court Rawalpindi.
In reply to the letter, the FIA had immediately dispatched the summary of the case, the arrest warrant and documentation in addition to the investigation reports. It also included copies of statements by then director-general of National Crisis Management Cell (NCMC) of Ministry of Interior (MOI) Brigadier (retd) Javed Iqbal Cheema and former director general of Intelligence Bureau (IB) Ejaz Shah, and US-based journalist Marc Siegel’s email to Benazir Bhutto and copies of the orders issued by the anti-terrorism court and other relevant documents, Zulfiqar added.
He further said that that the FIA has clarified to the Interpol that the perpetual warrant of arrest is valid till the arrest of the accused.