ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday directed the attorney general to present report of US Diplomat’s placement on the Exit Control List (ECL).
While hearing a petition seeking US diplomat Col Joseph Emanuel Hall’s placement on the ECL, IHC’s Justice Amir Farooq remarked that “being a diplomat does not give him the license to kill our citizens.”
On April 7, US defence attache Joseph Hall’s vehicle hit and killed Aatif, while injured his cousin Raheel, near Kohsar police station in Islamabad.
“Him being a diplomat does not give him the right to kill. If our law protests him, it does protect our citizens too,” the judge remarked.
The attorney general told the court that the commissioner office has sent an application to the interior ministry to put Joseph Hall on the ECL, while a committee has also been set up for the purpose.
To this end, Amir Farooq remarked that the committee formed to decide inclusion or exclusion of the diplomat’s name on the ECL must announce verdict within 5 days.
The IHC judge also criticised the police for showing negligence and ‘damaging’ the case. “In such circumstances, alcohol tests are conducted but the police failed to conduct any, wasting any evidence that could have been found,” the judge said.
“Moreover, the diplomat’s statement was recorded in Urdu and not in English. What if he backs off his statements tomorrow saying that he does not know Urdu? Think like a Pakistani for once,” the judge added.
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