Federal govt told to bring back POs from UAE, Sweden to stand murder trial

The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday directed the ministries of interior and foreign affairs to ensure extradition of two proclaimed offenders from the United Arab Emirates and Sweden who were involved in murder cases.

The direction came during a hearing of petitions of Maham Amjad and Hazrat Subhan seeking the extradition of Syed Taqi Haider from Dubai and Khurrum Nisar from Sweden. Maham Amjad submitted that Haider killed her father Shah in 2008 after he disclosed financial corruption of the accused in an insurance company, and later the suspect fled the country. She asked that the accused be brought back to Karachi and an expeditious trial conducted.

The other petitioner sought extradition of Khurrum Nisar from Sweden, who is involved in the murder of a policeman in the Defence area. A high court division bench, headed by Justice Mohammad Iqbal Kalhoro, after perusal of the reports, observed that there were apparently lack of coordination between the ministry of interior and the ministry of foreign affairs, and matters with regard to the extradition of the accused from the UAE and Sweden were pending without any progress.

The court observed that an officer of the foreign ministry said that they were making efforts for the extradition of Syed Taqi Haider, but he was not in a position to give a definite period in which the objection raised by the UAE government with regard to extradition would be removed.

It further said that the main objection raised by the UAE government is to provide the limitation period in respect of the crime committed by the accused for extradition.

The court directed the secretaries of the ministries of interior and foreign affairs to look into the affairs and remove the objections raised by the UAE government with regard to the extradition of Syed Taqi Haider Shah within one month. It also directed the federal government to ensure that the accused are extradited from the UAE and Sweden not later than two months.

The court observed that the federal government if necessary should take up the matters with embassies in the respective countries. It sad that in case of non-complain both secretaries shall have to appear before the court and explain their position.