Extradition treaty between UK and Pak requires further talks

Islamabad, Nov 13 (UNI) Despite claims by Pakistani and British officials that they were very close to signing an extradition treaty, there seem to be several logjams requiring further discussions between the two countries before the formal accord is actually inked.

According to local media reports capital punishment in Pakistan is one of the main hindrances in the signing of the treaty.

However, the British government is now considering to make some changes in the rules to facilitate the treaty, Dawn quoted a source in the Interior Ministry as saying.

UK Secretary of State for Home Affairs John Reid during a meeting with Interior Minister Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao had given the assurance that his government was for amendments to accomodate the treaty.

Pakistan had redrafted the extradition treaty to be signed for exchange of people wanted in different cases, but the UK authorities had told Islamabad that the treaty could not be signed unless Pakistan gives the assurance that it would not give death sentence to people extradited from the UK, the source said.

The UK government had also told Islamabad that it would not extradite people sentenced to death in Pakistan.

When contacted, Interior Minister Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao confirmed that the issue of death sentence was the only hindrance to signing the treaty.

However, he hoped that the treaty would soon be signed as assured by the UK government.

The source said the finalised draft of the treaty had been sent to the British government.

ёThe government of Pakistan is ready to sign the agreement and is awaiting a response from the UK,ё a senior official of the interior ministry said.

The government, he said, had started preparing the draft in 2005 and had finalised it the same year but due to some reservations of the British authorities, it could not be signed.

The official said the document had been re-drafted to address those reservations and to make it acceptable to the two sides.

He hoped the British authorities would not have any objection to the new draft of the treaty and it would be signed soon.

The official said it would almost be similar to extradition treaties signed by Pakistan with other countries, with some minor adjustments.

Both the governments would have to take approval from their parliaments before singing the treaty.

Pakistan government has been striving for the extradition of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, former Sindh chief minister Abdullah Shah, former federal secretary Salman Farooqi and some others prominent figures from the UK.

Though no extradition treaty exists between Pakistan and the UK, the two countries often exchange wanted people through mutual understanding.

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