SC seeks details of extradition treaties with USA, UK

[ghazi52]

SC seeks details of extradition treaties with USA, UK


The Frontier Post
September 21, 2020

ISLAMABAD (APP): The Supreme Court on Monday sought details of Pakistan’s extradition agreements with the United States (US) and the United Kingdom.
A three-member bench of the apex court headed by Justice Mushir Alam and comprising Justice Qazi Muhammad Amin Ahmed and Justice Yahya Afridi sought the details of extradition treaties while hearing a case of New York Times Square attack accused Talha Haroon.

During the course of proceedings, the court also stopped the extradition of Talha to the United States till further orders and summoned the Attorney General for Pakistan and relevant officials of the Foreign Ministry along with the record.

The bench also sought details of the people extradited by Pakistan from the US and the UK, and of those extradited from Pakistan.
Justice Qazi Amin asked if there was no agreement between Pakistan and the US, then how extradition could took place. Pakistan was a sovereign state and on the basis of which evidence it could hand over the accused to the US.

He said the court would protect the citizens according to the law.

Advocate Tariq Mahmood, counsel for petitioner Talha, said a single-member bench of the Islamabad High Court had ruled that the evidence of handing over Talha Haroon to the US was not admissible.

However, in the intra-court appeal, the IHC bench left the determination of crime to the inquiry magistrate and it was feared that the magistrate would hand over the acc-used to the US, he added. Later, of the case was adjourned for two weeks.

 

[ghazi52]

No unlawful extradition will be allowed: SC

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court Monday directed the federal government to submit a comprehensive report on whether Pakistan had signed extradition treaties with the United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK).

At three-member bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Mushir Alam, heard the case of a citizen, Talha Haroon, an accused in the New York Times Square attack. The accused had challenged his extradition to the United States.

The court restrained Haroon’s extradition until further orders and summoned the Attorney General for Pakistan and officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The court sought a comprehensive report stating if extradition treaties had been signed by Pakistan with the United States and the United Kingdom besides furnishing details about how many Pakistanis had been handed over to these countries and details pertaining to Pakistanisextradited from these countries as well.
The court asked Additional Attorney General Sajid Ilyas Bhatti whether extradition treaties had been signed by Pakistan with the UK and the US to which the law officer replied that he would look into it and inform the court.
Justice Qazi Muhammad Amin asked how extradition of prisoners was possible if no agreement had been signed with these two countries. The judge observed that the US got custody of whoever it wanted without agreement and questioned what was the evidence on the basis of which the accused were handed over.

He further asked how a sovereign country like Pakistan could hand its citizen to over another country. “We will protect our citizens but in accordance with the law,” the judge remarked. Tariq Mahmood, counsel for the petitioner, drew the court’s attention to its previous orders for extradition of Hussain Haqqani, Pakistan’s former ambassador to the US which were never implemented in letter and spirit.
He said a single-member bench of Islamabad High Court had ruled in his client’s case that the “evidence is not admissible”. He further submitted that in the intra-court appeal, the IHC had asked the magistrate to first determine the accused's guilt.

The counsel contended that his client feared that the magistrate might carry out an inquiry just for the sake of satisfying the IHC's condition and subsequently issue orders for Haroon’s extradition.

Meanwhile, the court summoned on the next date of hearing, attorney general for Pakistan and officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs directing them to bring with them complete record of prisoners extradited from and to Pakistan from the US and the UK and adjourned hearing for two weeks.