FO has no mechanism to serve summons abroad

ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office (FO) doesn’t have mechanism to get service of summons/ warrants upon any Pakistani living abroad, issued by any authority in Pakistan.

Diplomatic sources told The News here Thursday the service of summons/ warrants through the embassy/ high commission is a strange and new phenomenon for which no trained staff was available in any mission. The family sources of former prime minister and quaid of Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) Nawaz Sharif have said none from the high commission sought appointment for visiting Nawaz in London and the high commission is also clueless about any legal development. The family is not aware of any summoning by the court as the high commission has no contact with the family, the sources added.

In the meanwhile, a senior lawyer, who is a lawyer, told this scribe that a trained person is supposed to carry out the service of any summon or warrant and the diplomatic missions didn’t have such trained staff. He said the orders for service through the high commission have enhanced the functions of the mission as the diplomats are not trained for such a job. The person, who would be appointed by the high commission to visit Nawaz Sharif, will have to be extremely careful in approaching him since he will have to follow the norms and discipline of visiting someone at his private place cautiously. Any defiance of rules of the country of his residence could cause the breach of human rights and privacy rights which is a serious offence in British laws. Pakistan’s new high commissioner for the United Kingdom Muazzam Ahmad Khan, who reached London early this week, has yet to assume the office, but he has started working in the mission.

Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood, who has been entrusted the assignment of service of the summons upon Nawaz Sharif in London, was unavailable Thursday for his comments. He was asked about the availability of mechanism for the summon service in London mission as per the court orders.