ISLAMABAD – The Supreme Court on Thursday directed extradition of Atif Sheikh, organiser of an illegal drag race held at Bahria Town, Rawalpindi, in which five people lost their lives on December 5, 2010. A two-member bench comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and Justice Ghulam Rabbani also directed the case’s investigation officer (IO) to investigate without any fear and proceed in accordance with law. Appearing on notice, Punjab Additional Advocate General Khadim Hussain Qaisar informed the court that the principal accused Sheikh had been arrested in Dubai by Interpol and the case challan had also been submitted.
“Why was the main accused not extradited through Interpol so far, despite the court’s order of his extradition on February 28?” the chief justice inquired. The case IO, Rawalpindi Additional Deputy Inspector General of Police Major (r) Mubashir told the court that although the accused had filed an appeal with the Dubai government requesting that he should not be sent back as he was being politically victimised in Pakistan, efforts for his extradition were on.
The chief justice said the case could not proceed until the accused was arrested. He said, “Any one who commits crime here, flees abroad and starts leveling allegations of political victimisation”. He said no one was above the law, thus the National Assembly members and federal ministers had also been arrested here and there was no bar on Sheikh’s arrest. “Five innocent people had been killed in an illegal activity, but no one cared,” he noted.
