The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Ministry of Interior to submit a detailed report regarding handing over of a detained citizen Ghulam Haider Raisani to Iran and adjourned the hearing for two weeks. A three-member bench of the apex court comprising Chief Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar, Justice Mohammad Qaim Jan Khan and Justice Chaudhry Ejaz Yousaf took up the matter and adjourned the hearing.
Raisani was arrested by Pakistani security forces on August 20, 2007 from Turbat for alleged involvement in abduction of 21 Iranian along with his sixteen associates. An anti-terrorism court had acquitted seven of them but Raisani and his remaining associates were under detention in District Jail Quetta. The Iranian government had demanded extradition of Haider Raisani saying he had links with Iranian extremist organisation 'Jundullah' and was involved in terrorist activities.
The government had shifted Haider Raisani from Quetta to Islamabad where he was to be handed over to Iranian authorities. It sparked agitation in Balochistan and an appeal was also filed in Quetta High Court against his deportation but the appeal had been rejected by the court.
An appeal in the Supreme Court was filed against the decision of the high court on June 14. The apex court while admitting the appeal had ordered not to hand Raisani over to Iran. Earlier, Syed Kamal Shah, Secretary Interior, had said that Raisani was an Iranian national. He was wanted by Iranian police for abduction of its army personnel.
Zulfiqar Khalid Malooka, the counsel for Raisani said that the government had decided to hand over a Pakistani citizen to Iran without any deliberation on the matter. Attorney General, Malik Muhammad Qayyum asked the court that in order to have a detailed investigation into the matter an ample time should be provided by the court.