The Comm-onwealth Secretariat has categorically denied that Pakistan sought its co-operation in extraditing former President Pervez Musharraf from Britain for his alleged involvement in the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.
"I can confirm that no such request has been received by this Secretariat," Eduardo del Buey, Director, Communications & Public Affairs Division emailed Business Recorder from the UK Head Office. Preciously in February, Minister for Interior Rehman Malik had categorically stated that the federal government would not exert any pressure on the UK government to extradite Musharraf.
Rehman Malik at a joint news conference in February 2011 with visiting British immigration minister Damian Green and Sayeeda Warsi, chairperson of the UK's ruling Conservative Party stated, "We are not pursuing the extradition of Musharraf from the UK."
Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has initiated consultation with legal experts to write a letter to Interpol for the issuance of a Red Warrant for former President Pervez Musharraf, implicated in the assassination case of Benazir Bhutto and summoned by the anti-terrorist court (ATC), well informed sources in FIA revealed told Business Recorder on Monday. The consultation process had commenced with Interpol when Rehman Malik made the statement with the visiting UK delegation.
Following the instructions of ATC Judge Rana Nisar, FIA dispatched letters to British government seeking the extradition of Musharraf but due to the absence of an extradition treaty between Pakistan and the UK, the UK government was not obliged to honour the FIA request, experts said. So far there is no response from the British government and now, on the direction of the ATC judge, FIA has decided to write to Interpol to get Global Arrest Warrants issued against Musharraf.
When Business Recorder team contacted the British High Commission in Pakistan, the spokesman refused to comment saying, "I am afraid I cannot offer any comment on extradition matters." On the other hand, the ATC has no jurisdiction to contact Interpol to get Global Arrest Warrants issued and only higher judiciary can move Interpol to bring someone back, said Hamid Lateef, a senior lawyer on international law while talking to this scribe.
He added that the case against Musharraf is very weak and request for mobilising Interpol against Musharraf is unlikely to bear fruit. "They have to fulfil procedural requirements as per international law. Its only when Musharraf is sentenced or the case is taken up by the High Court or the Supreme Court that Interpol may consider action," Hamid Lateef said.
The spokesman of All Pakistan Muslim League headed by Pervez Musharraf called the move of the court to move Interpol to get global warrants issued against Musharraf illegal. "They should stay within the law, Fawad Chaudhry said while talking to this scribe. "Requesting Interpol to issue Global Arrest Warrants is the job of the government not the judiciary," Chaudhry said.
He said that the court has taken statements of Brigadier Javed Iqbal Cheema (former Chairman National Crisis Management Cell) and Ijaz Shah (former chief of Intelligence Bureau) as the basis for declaring Pervez Musharraf complicit in Benazir Bhutto assassination. "Both these people have denied their statements; then on what bases is the court including Musharraf as an accused," he asked. Fawad added that former President is under no pressure and added that he will return to the country very soon.
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