US diplomat behind death of biker doesn't have complete immunity: IHC

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday ruled that the US diplomat who allegedly killed a motorcyclist in a road accident in Islamabad doesn’t enjoy absolute diplomatic immunity. 

A bench of the high court gave its verdict on a petition filed by the father of the deceased who sought travel ban for the US diplomat involved in the death of his son.

It directed the Minister of Interior to decide air attache Col Joseph Emanuel’s case about placing his name on the Exit Control List (ECL) within two weeks.

The single bench, comprising Justice Amir Farooq, had earlier reserved the verdict after hearing arguments from the petitioner’s lawyer and a state counsel.

The Ministry of Interior submitted a report to the bench in response to its notice, stating that Col. Joseph has been blacklisted in a case pertaining to the death of 22-year-old Ateeq Baig.

To a query, state counsel Raja Khalid informed that the US diplomat cannot travel after being blacklisted. Travel restrictions for a person placed on the ECL or blacklisted are similar, he added.

Twenty-two year old Ateeq Baig was killed after being hit by the vehicle of the US diplomat near Daman-e-Koh Chowk in the federal capital on April 7.

The father of the deceased petitioned the high court, requesting it to impose travel ban on the US defense and air attache Col. Joseph Emanuel Hall.

In his petition, he claimed the police registered a FIR of the incident under pressure from media, but were not seriously following the case. He pleaded with the court to order the police to carry out a fair probe into his son’s death in the road mishap and send the diplomat behind bars.