IHC extends stay against extradition of US citizen

ISLAMABAD: Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday extended the stay against the extradition of an American of Pakistani origin until May 9 and summoned the inquiry report of the Islamabad administration.

Talha Haroon, who has been in Adiala jail since Sept 2016, was allegedly planning to carry out terror activities in the US.

Additional deputy commissioner Abdul Sattar Essani conducted an inquiry and recommended that the suspect might be sent back to the US under section 13 of the Extradition Act 1972.

The government’s counsel submitted a report of the interior ministry during the hearing of the petition filed against the extradition of Mr Haroon, which said the suspect was not a Pakistani national hence could not claim fundamental rights guaranteed under the Constitution.

The petition, filed by Haroon’s father, pointed out that the accused was innocent and had the fundamental right to freedom of life guaranteed to him under Article 9 read with Article 14 of the Constitution of Pakistan.

The US Department of Justice shared the investigation conducted by the FBI which claimed that the suspect planned attacks on the New York Subway, Times Square and a concert in June last year.

The investigation also claimed that Mr Haroon had been associated with the Taliban in the past and later switched his allegiance to so-called Islamic State (IS).

The court adjourned the case until May 9 with the direction to Islamabad administration to submit the inquiry report before the next date of hearing.

Source: Dawn