GUJRAT: Inordinate delays in the issuance of red warrants for extradition of fugitives who have fled abroad have been a cause of inconvenience for complainants and are hampering legal proceedings.

Involvement of at least six provincial and federal departments in getting a red warrant is said to be the main cause of delay, making the procedure lengthier. These cases are often stuck at the interior ministry and its subservient section Interpol at the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

Official sources and complainants told Dawn that normally it took three to four years for issuance of red warrants due to official formalities.

As per the current procedure, an investigation officer of a police station to which a culprit is wanted writes to the branch concerned of the district police dealing with red warrant cases.

That branch requires at least 20 various documentary information about the wanted person such as 10 photographs, photocopies of passport and national identity card, Arabic or English translation of the progress report that includes a first information report and statements of witnesses, travel history etc.

Complainants are often asked to provide all these documents, which aggravates their suffering and they end up spending large amounts of money.

The district police office then files a request with the Punjab Police inspector general (IG) to proceed with the case with the help of the provincial home department that writes to the interior ministry.

The ministry forwards the case to the Interpol director seeking issuance of red warrants from its headquarters in Lyon, France.

The number of fugitives wanted by the Gujrat police for murder is over 1,000 out of which 40pc have reportedly fled abroad.

The district police have sought red warrants for at least 114 of them. Around 55 warrants have so far been issued, while 59 cases are still pending either at the provincial or the federal capital’s departments concerned.

Cases of remaining absconders are either not being pursued or being processed by investigation officers concerned for sending a request to the authorities. Most of these outlaws flee to European and Middle Eastern countries besides South Africa.

Even if a red warrant is issued extraditions of such absconders are not easy especially from countries with a ban on capital punishment. In certain cases Pakistan does not have an extradition treaty with a country.

Slow extraditions are evident from the fact that only three red-warrant culprits and two black listed with Gujrat police have been extradited in the last one year from various Middle Eastern countries.

Chaudhry Zafar Hussain, a former general councillor from Boly village in the outskirts of the city, has been going from pillar to post to get red warrants of four men suspected of killing his two sons.

Both the victims were police constables and gunned down by rivals in separate incidents in 2007. Seven main accused of the many nominated in both cases fled to Europe and Middle East, he added.

Red warrants of three out of the seven were issued over a year ago after efforts of four years whereas the remaining warrants are still pending with the interior ministry. The Gujrat police sent a formal request for issuance of the remaining warrants four years ago, but to no avail.

The IG office and provincial home department proceeded with the case a year after the request and now the request is lying with the federal government.

Zafar said the three outlaws whose warrants had been issued would often shuttle between Pakistan and the country of their refuge.

He questioned the credibility of the red warrants if the authorities concerned could not even manage to stop the men’s frequent travel despite FIA’s immigration wing having their computerised record and photographs.

A senior law-enforcement official said the matter of issuance of red warrants should only be dealt by the IG office and then referred to the FIA’s Interpol wing. Offices of provincial home department and the interior ministry should be excluded to minimise complications.