ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office has clarified that the US embassy’s defence attaché, who was involved in a fatal road accident, was allowed to leave the country after assurances that he would be tried in his home country.

“The US has assured us that it will initiate criminal / administrative action against Col Joseph in US courts,” FO spokesman Dr Mohammad Faisal said at the weekly media briefing on Thursday.

Col Joseph Hall had on April 7 killed a motorcyclist and injured co-rider after jumping a red signal at an intersection in the federal capital. He left Islamabad this week, raising questions about the conditions under which he was eventually allowed to go, especially because he was a couple of days earlier denied exit.

The spokesman recalled that Col Hall enjoyed diplomatic immunity because of which he could not be prosecuted in Pakistan.

Prime Minister Abbasi to attend OIC emergency summit on Palestine issue in Istanbul

Updating on the restrictions imposed by Pakistan and the US on each other’s diplomats, the spokesman noted that the two sides were continuing their discussions on the matter. He hoped that the issue could be resolved through dialogue.

In reply to a question, Dr Faisal admitted that US diplomatic missions in Pakistan had enjoyed special facilities. He at the same time noted that those facilities had now been withdrawn.

The special facilities which included holding multiple passports, issuance of biometrically unverified cell phone SIM cards, relaxations with regards to licence plate rules, hiring of buildings without host government’s approval, radio communication equipment, and safe houses, became public when a Note Verbale notifying reciprocal restrictions on US diplomats got leaked.

The spokesman said these concessions, whose details were previously never disclosed, were given to the US diplomatic missions by “earlier governments”. He did not specify which previous governments he specifically meant. However, it is assumed that he was referring to the special facilities extended by former military ruler Gen Pervez Musharraf. Those concessions were believed to have been either withdrawn or renegotiated following the parliamentary review of ties in 2012. But a diplomatic source revealed that the concessions continued despite the political rhetoric against the US.

The spokesman welcomed an emergency summit of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) on developments in Palestine following the shifting of the US embassy to Jerusalem and expressed the hope that it would help formulate a collective response of the Muslim countries.

“We are confident that message from the OIC platform will show resolve of the Muslim countries on rejecting Israel’s policies on the treatment of Palestinians,” Dr Faisal said.

The summit is being held in Istanbul on Friday at the invitation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the chairman of the 13th session of the Islamic Summit Conference.

Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi will travel to Turkey to attend the meeting. Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua is already in Turkey for Senior Officials meeting of the OIC. “We expect some positive outcome after the meeting,” he maintained.

Over 60 Palestinians, including children, were killed and nearly another 3,000 were injured during a protest in the Gaza Strip against the transfer of the US embassy to the occupied city of Jerusalem.

“Pakistan also renews its call for establishment of a viable, independent and contiguous state of Palestine, on the basis of internationally agreed parameters, the pre-1967 borders, and with Al Quds Al-Sharif as its capital,” the spokesman said while reiterating Pakistani position on the dispute.

Rejecting the renewed US sanctions on Iran after it unilaterally withdrew from the nuclear deal, the spokesman said Pakistan “will continue to engage with Iran as a neighbour to strengthen our political and economic relations”.

He further said: “As a matter of principle we are against unilateral sanctions.”

Published in Dawn, May 18th, 2018