UK takes corruption ‘very seriously’, Sajid Javid on question of Ishaq Dar

ISLAMABAD: British Home Secretary Sajid Javid on Monday said that the UK wanted to develop an extradition treaty with Pakistan but refused to answer when asked about the cases against former finance minister Ishaq Dar and Nawaz Sharif’s sons wanted here on corruption charges.

The UK minister in an interview with BBC said he wanted to work with the Pakistani government on “accountability.”

Prior to his meeting with Prime Minister Imran Khan, the UK minister met with Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and discussed areas including regional security, counter-terrorism, organized crime, migration, human trafficking, money laundering and asset recovery.

FM Qureshi stressed the need to expand Pakistan-UK cooperation and translate the existing ties into a tangible and multi-faceted strategic partnership. He appreciated DFID’s contribution towards the development of socio-economic sectors in Pakistan.

The British Home Secretary conveyed his government’s desire to support and work closely with the new government in all areas of mutual interest.

The two countries closely cooperate under the institutional framework of the Enhanced Strategic Dialogue.

Last week, the British government rejected a petition which called on the Theresa May’s government to deport Ishaq Dar to Pakistan from London.

The petition was launched by an activist from the UK around a month ago, which was signed by more than 80,000 internet users making a number of allegations against Ishaq Dar but a statement by the British government rejected these allegations and made it clear that the petition would not be entertained.

A written statement issued by the Petitions Team of the UK government and the Parliament said, ”We rejected the petition you supported – “Deport absconder Pakistan’s ex-finance minister Ishaq Dar back to Pakistan”. The statement said that the petition online against Ishaq Dar included “libellous, false or defamatory information” which could not be relied upon to take action against Ishaq Dar.

It told the petitioners that Britain has no formal extradition treaty with Pakistan. The “Section 194 of the Extradition Act 2003 does allow special extradition arrangements in exceptional circumstances.

However, under the current law, an extradition process is initiated at the request of the government of the country in which the individual has been convicted of a crime. It would, therefore, be the Pakistani government's responsibility to initiate such proceedings.