Govt Sends Case Files to UK for Extradition of Shahzad Akbar

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani government has handed the British government a comprehensive case file requesting the extradition of former accountability adviser Mirza Shahzad Akbar in a significant move.

The sources reportedly claimed that information about cases filed and ongoing legal actions against Shahzad Akbar, an accountability adviser in the former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government, was included in the materials handed to UK authorities.

The Islamabad police have at least three charges against him, two at the Secretariat Police Station and one at the Kohsar Police Station, according to the record.

Moreover, the British authorities have also received information about cases that have been filed against Akbar with the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), and National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

However, as per documents, local courts have pronounced Shahzad Akbar an offender, and in certain cases, he has already been found guilty.

Meanwhile, the officials revealed that the federal government has sent records pertaining to Shahzad Akbar and Adil Raja to the UK authorities on a case-by-case basis.

Furthermore, the government sources stated that the similar process is probably going to be used in the following stage to send cases of other wanted people to their respective nations.

Earlier this month, the federal government of Pakistan has formally initiated the extradition proceedings for former special assistant to the prime minister Mirza Shahzad Akbar and Major (retd) Adil Raja from the United Kingdom, both of whom face legal cases in Pakistan.

The development was confirmed during a meeting between Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and UK High Commissioner Jane Marriott, where Naqvi raised the issue of extraditing Pakistani nationals residing illegally in the UK.

Handing over the extradition documents, Naqvi stated that both individuals are “wanted in Pakistan” and therefore “should be immediately handed over [to Pakistani authorities].”