ISLAMABAD: Myanmar’s drug lord Ibrahim Koko was illegally transferred to Pakistan by the former ambassador to Thailand Sohail Khan and former deputy head of mission Ataul Munim Shahid, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has found, a local media outlet reported on Sunday.
Investigation Officer Kashif Riaz Awan submitted a challan in the Court of Islamabad Central which states that the transfer violated Pakistan-Thailand agreement on transfer of offenders. The investigation into the matter was ordered by the former interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan.
The Thailand ministry of foreign affairs was provided with a letter of consent by Sohail Khan, stating that Koko held Pakistani nationality even though he had a Burmese passport.
Maryam bibi had earlier submitted her documents showing she was the mother of Ibrahim Koko but failed to provide the required attestation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad. It was this request that Sohail Khan considered in violation of the due requirements.
NADRA (National Database and Registration Authority) had also said that Koko’s CNIC (Computerised National Identity Card) was fake and an investigation was necessary over the matter. NADRA’s position on the matter was ignored.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also failed to produce relevant records despite the FIA’s request.
Kashif Riaz explains that Thailand’s laws for drug related offences are more severe than they are in Pakistan and that Section 9 of the Transfer of Offenders Ordinance 2004 states that convicts will receive punishments in accordance with the laws of the receiving state.
Koko was transferred to Pakistan on 7 March 2015 despite a notification by the Interior Ministry that such a move was unfeasible.
Currently, Koko is imprisoned at Central Jail Adiala and was convicted to 36 years in prison by a court in Thailand over drug trafficking.
On the other hand, Sohail Khan is currently in charge of the Pakistani mission in South Africa and Ataul Munim Shahid is working as the director general of Economic Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad.
