LONDON: A 75-year-old man who was extradited from Pakistan was on Thursday convicted of the murder of a UK police officer nearly 20 years ago.
Piran Ditta Khan fled Britain after the shooting of police constable Sharon Beshenivsky who was killed as she tried to foil a robbery at a travel agency in November 2005.
The rare fatal shooting of a police officer on duty in Britain triggered widespread shock and revived calls for police to routinely carry guns.
Khan is the last of the seven men involved in the raid in Bradford in northern England to be convicted.
Prosecutors said the former takeaway boss was the group’s ringleader.
Although he did not leave the safety of a lookout car during the raid he played a “pivotal” role in planning it and knew that loaded firearms were to be used.
This made him guilty of Beshenivsky’s murder “as surely as if he had pulled the trigger on that pistol himself,” prosecutors said.
Khan was convicted by a majority of 10-1 jurors at Leeds Crown Court in northern England.
Beshenivsky, who was 38 and had three children and two step children, was gunned down on her youngest daughter’s fourth birthday. She had been a police officer for just nine months.
Her female colleague Teresa Milburn was shot in the chest in the incident but survived. Neither officer was armed.
Police superintendent Marc Bowes welcomed the verdict as the “culmination of 18 years of hard work, tenacious grit and determination to bring Khan before the courts.”
“Today as always our thoughts remain with PC Sharon Beshenivsky and her family, Sharon went to work to protect the public, she responded to a call for help alongside her colleague Teresa but tragically never came home,” he added.
Khan, who was arrested in Pakistan in January 2020, was extradited to the UK last April.
The other six gang members have previously been jailed in connection with the shooting, including a Somali national who was sentenced to a minimum of 35 years in jail.
Man extradited from Pakistan convicted of killing UK police officer
https://arab.news/z5rmt
Man extradited from Pakistan convicted of killing UK police officer
- Piran Ditta Khan fled Britain after the shooting of police constable Sharon Beshenivsky during a robbery in 2005
- Beshenivsky, a 38-year-old mother of five children, was gunned down on her youngest daughter’s fourth birthday
UAE President arrives in Pakistan on first official visit, receives 21-gun salute
- Shehbaz Sharif receives the UAE president at Nur Khan Airbase as Islamabad was decorated with Emirati flags
- Talks are set to focus on strengthening bilateral cooperation in trade, investment, energy and regional affairs
ISLAMABAD: Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, arrived in Pakistan on Friday on his first official visit since assuming office, receiving a 21-gun salute as Islamabad and Abu Dhabi seek to deepen cooperation in trade, investment, energy and regional affairs.
The UAE president landed at Nur Khan Airbase in Rawalpindi, where he was welcomed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir and members of the federal cabinet, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office.
The national anthems of Pakistan and the UAE were played, and a guard of honor was presented by contingents of the Pakistani armed forces. State-run broadcasters and private television channels aired video footage of the UAE president’s arrival and ceremonial reception.
“During his visit, the President of the United Arab Emirates will meet the Prime Minister of Pakistan, during which bilateral relations as well as regional and international issues will be discussed,” an official statement circulated after Al Nahyan’s arrival said.
Earlier, the foreign office said the visit would provide an important opportunity to further strengthen the longstanding relations between the two countries.
It added the discussions between the two sides would explore ways to deepen cooperation in trade, investment, energy and development.
Islamabad was decorated with Pakistani and Emirati flags and large billboards carrying images of the visiting UAE president alongside President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Sharif ahead of the visit.
The Islamabad administration declared a public holiday in the capital, while traffic police announced an extensive plan to manage vehicular movement during the visit.
Pakistan considers the UAE one of its closest regional and economic partners. The Gulf state is Islamabad’s third-largest trading partner after China and the United States and remains a major source of foreign investment.
Over the past two decades, Emirati investment in Pakistan has exceeded $10 billion, according to the UAE’s foreign ministry.
Pakistani policymakers also view the UAE as an important export destination due to its geographical proximity, which reduces transportation and freight costs.
