Islamabad - The Islamabad High Court yesterday gave final chance to the Advocate General Islamabad to complete his arguments in a petition moved by a person against the transfer of an FIR registered against the former CIA station chief in Islamabad Jonathan Banks for killing of people in a drone attack from federal capital to FATA.
A single bench of IHC comprising Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui conducted hearing of the petition and deferred the proceedings till November 30 after giving afore-mentioned directions.
During the hearing, a standing counsel appeared before the court and informed the bench about the non-availability of AG Mian Abdul Rauf and sought adjournment. At this, Justice Siddiqui expressed his displeasure regarding continuous delay in such an important matter. The bench further said that the next hearing will be the last opportunity for the federal government to present its arguments otherwise the court would proceed with the case.
Earlier, the AG Islamabad had sought time from the court to make his submissions in this case, however, on the multiple occasions the hearing had to adjourn due to his absence.
It was April 7, 2015 when the same IHC bench had directed Inspector General (IG) Islamabad police to register an FIR against the former CIA station chief in Islamabad Jonathan Banks and former CIA legal counsel John A Rizzo.
Secretariat Police Station had registered the FIR but later it was transferred to the FATA Secretariat.
Petitioner Karim Khan in his application has asserted that Secretariat Police Station had no jurisdiction to transfer the case. He has prayed to the court to direct the Secretariat Police to initiate proceedings on the basis of FIR.
Prior to April 7, 2015, the IHC bench on June 05, 2014 had directed police to register FIR against the former CIA officials for their alleged involvement in drone attacks in the matter of Karim Khan whose brother and a son had died in a drone strike. Talking to The Nation, Mirza Shahzad Akbar, counsel for the petitioner Karim Khan, who is a resident of North Waziristan Agency told that his client had lost his teenage son Zahinullah and a brother Asif Iqbal who was a primary schoolteacher in Mirali in a drone strike on December 31, 2009 and started his legal struggle in 2010 seeking accountability and has been pursuing the criminal case ever since.
He added that for around 5 years, the Islamabad police had been avoiding proceeding against the CIA officials involved in his brutal killing and hundreds of other killings in US conducted drone strikes in Pakistan.