Interior ministry told to engage counsel if there is difficulty with Hammad Siddiqui’s extradition

The Sindh High Court has directed the additional secretary interior to inform the court in which country Hammad Siddiqui, a former incharge of the defunct Karachi Tanzeemi Committee of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement and a proclaimed offender in the Baldia Town factory fire case, is residing and to engage a counsel if there is some difficulty with his and another Pakistani national’s extradition process.

The direction came on a petition for the extradition of Pakistani nationals who were involved in criminal cases from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and other countries. The high court had directed the federal interior and foreign affairs ministries to explain why Siddiqui had still not been extradited despite court orders.

An SHC division bench headed by Justice Mohammad Karim Khan Agha observed that this court has been pursuing the matter of extradition of Siddiqui for long time as he is proclaimed offender in the Baldia town factory fire case where 268 persons lost their lives.

The court noted that the matter was being dragged on by passing on responsibility from one department to another department and the interior ministry’s additional secretary said that they are not sure that in which country Hammad Siddiqui is residing.

It directed the ministry of interior to inform the court in which country Siddiqui is residing and what steps have been taken by the ministry of interior to secure his return to Pakistan. The court directed the additional secretary home to personally pursue the matter to determine in which country Siddiqui is residing.

The high court observed that if the government is able to locate the country where Siddiqui and the other proclaim offender Syed Taqi Haider Shah are, and if there is difficulty with their extradition then they may engage counsel in that country to assist the government in extradition process at their own expenses.

Regarding the extradition of Syed Taqi Haider Shah, another absconder who was allegedly involved in a murder case, the court was informed that some progress has been made to bring back Shah to Pakistan.

The court said that it is expected that the federal government would do the needful and a progress report would be submitted before the court on the next date of the hearing.

It had earlier directed the government to engage a legal expert in the UAE at the expense of the government of Pakistan to assist them in dealing with the extradition process in accordance with the law of the UAE.