ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has put an American diplomat Col Joseph Emanuel Hall, who recently killed a motorcyclist and his pillion passenger in a road accident, on a black list to prevent him from leaving the country, revealed Deputy Attorney General Raja Khalid on Tuesday as he appeared in Islamabad High Court, which is looking into the tragic incident.
Khalid told the court that placing the US diplomat’s name on the exit control list would entail a lengthy procedure, adding that it was not even possible to put him on trial in Pakistan since he enjoyed diplomatic immunity under the Vienna Convention.
Hall, who is stationed in Islamabad where he works with the US Embassy as defense attaché, killed a Pakistani national, Atiq Baig, and injured his cousin, Raheel Ahmed, when he jumped a red light in his SUV and crashed into the other vehicle.
The incident took place on April 7, creating a sense of resentment among Pakistanis who have also witnessed unsavory incidents involving American diplomats in the past.
While the police rushed to the accident site, they could not accomplish much since Hall refused to step out of his vehicle or take an alcohol test.
The court was particularly riled by the way the law enforcement agency handled the issue, expressing displeasure with its officials and even observing that they “trembled” to see a foreigner.
The road accident happened at a time when US-Pakistan relations had already touched a new low.
The two countries have been trying to resolve a host of security and diplomatic issues. Their relations remain frosty, though a senior State Department official, Alice Wells, was in the federal capital just days ago to continue official engagements between the two countries.
Pakistan puts US diplomat on black list for killing biker in road accident
Pakistan puts US diplomat on black list for killing biker in road accident
- Col Joseph Emanuel Hall, defense attaché at the US embassy in Islamabad, killed a Pakistani national, Atiq Baig, when he jumped a red light in his SUV and crashed into the motorbike.
- Placing the US diplomat’s name on exit control list will entail a lengthy procedure, Deputy Attorney General tells the court.
India says accomplice of Delhi car blast ‘suicide bomber’ arrested
- The explosion on Monday took place near a busy metro station close to the landmark Red Fort in the capital’s Old Delhi quarter
- It was the most significant security incident since 26 tourists were killed in Pahalgam on April 22, triggering clashes with Pakistan
NEW DELHI: Indian authorities said on Sunday that a deadly car blast in New Delhi last week was an attack carried out by a “suicide bomber,” announcing the arrest of an accomplice.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA), the country’s counter-terrorism law enforcement body, said the attacker and the second suspect were both from Indian-administered Kashmir, where police have carried out sweeping raids in recent days.
Announcing “a breakthrough” in the investigation, the NIA said it had arrested Amir Rashid Ali, describing him as an accomplice of the “suicide bomber” under whose name “the car involved in the attack was registered.”
He had come to Delhi to “facilitate the purchase of the car which was eventually used as a vehicle-borne Improvised Explosive Device (IED) to trigger the blast,” according to a statement from the counter-terrorism agency.
It identified the driver as Umar Un Nabi, a resident of Kashmir who was an assistant professor in general medicine at a university in the northern state of Haryana.
The explosion on Monday took place near a busy metro station close to the landmark Red Fort in the capital’s Old Delhi quarter, where the prime minister delivers the annual Independence Day address.
A hospital official has said the blast killed 12 people. It was unclear whether Nabi was included in the toll.
The NIA’s statement said the attack “claimed 10 innocent lives and left 32 others injured.”
The NIA said it had seized another vehicle belonging to Nabi.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called the attack a “conspiracy,” and his government vowed to bring the “perpetrators, their collaborators and their sponsors” to justice.
It was the most significant security incident since April 22, when 26 mainly Hindu civilians were killed at the tourist site of Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir, triggering clashes with Pakistan.
Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since their independence from British rule in 1947, and both claim the Himalayan territory in full. Tensions remain high between New Delhi and Islamabad.
