YouTuber and self-proclaimed political and defence expert Adil Raja, as well as ousted premier Imran Khan’s accountability aide Shahzad Akbar, could soon be extradited to Pakistan, it has emerged.
As per the details, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Monday visited the British Home Office in London where he met with officials to reiterate request for the extradition of individuals wanted by Pakistan.
During the meeting, the Pakistani government presented a detailed dossier supporting its request, reports quoted officials as saying.
Pakistani High Commissioner to the United Kingdom (UK), Dr Mohammad Faisal, accompanied the interior minister during the visit that comes days after Naqvi also met UK High Commissioner Jane Marriott and handed her over the extradition papers for Raja and Akbar.
The meeting on Thursday had come three days after Naqvi announced a crackdown on those involved in fake news, declaring that the government would repatriate from the UK YouTubers involved in this activity or the targeting of state institutions.
Currently, no formal extradition treaty exists between Pakistan and the UK, though Section 194 of the UK Extradition Act 2003 contains provisions for special “ad hoc” extradition arrangements.
According to a statement released by the interior ministry, Naqvi held an “important” meeting with Marriott in Islamabad, where the two discussed Pak-UK relations, security cooperation and issues of mutual interest.
They also discussed the return of Pakistanis illegally residing in the UK, it added.
“The extradition papers for Akbar and Raja from the government of Pakistan were handed over [to Marriott],” the statement said, adding that both individuals are wanted in Pakistan and should be handed over to Pakistan immediately.
He also provided evidence against Pakistani citizens who were spreading propaganda, the statement said.
“I fully believe in freedom of expression, but fake news is a problem for every country,” he said, as per the statement.
“No country can allow slander and defamation against state institutions from those sitting abroad,” the minister said. Naqvi also said that Pakistan would welcome British cooperation for the return of those who “spread anti-Pakistan propaganda”.
The statement further said that the interior ministry had initiated the extradition process through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.