KARACHI: The Sindh High Court has deplored that the ministries of foreign affairs and interior have been making very little effort to extradite two proclaimed offenders from abroad.

A two-judge constitutional bench of the SHC, headed by Justice Mohammad Karim Khan Agha, summoned the additional secretaries of both ministries on Sept 25, and said that it was expecting meaningful progress at the next hearing.

Earlier, the bench had repeatedly issued directives to both ministries for the extradition of Muttahida Qaumi Movement leader Hammad Siddiqui, a proclaimed offender in the Baldia factory fire case, as he was reportedly staying in Abu Dhabi, and Syed Taqi Haider Shah, who had allegedly murdered his colleague/senior official of the State Life Insurance Corporation after the victim revealed financial corruption of the accused inside his office in 2008, from Dubai.

At the outset of the hearing on Wednesday, the bench noted that the federal government was directed on numerous occasions to ensure the extradition, but apparently the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had not made any meaningful progress, and today none appeared on behalf of the Ministry of Interior without intimation.

It also said that the additional secretaries of the ministries of foreign affairs and interior must place on record the complete correspondence exchanged with the UAE concerning the extradition of Taqi Shah, including a request for extradition, as informed to the court by the assistant chief of protocol of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that an extradition treaty existed between Pakistan and the UAE.

With regard to Hammad Siddiqui, the bench observed that the SHC had been pursuing the matter of his extradition for quite some time, as he was a proclaimed offender in the Baldia Town factory fire case where 268 persons lost their lives.

“It appears that very little progress has been made in this respect. Representative of ministry of foreign affairs states that this matter should be dealt with by the ministry of interior,” it added.

The bench further said that, at the next hearing, the additional secretary of the Ministry of Interior must inform this court in which country Hammad Siddiqui was currently residing, as well as the steps that have been taken by the ministry to secure his return to Pakistan. Besides, the additional secretaries of the ministries of foreign affairs and interior should ensure that his computerised national identity card and passport are cancelled.

The bench directed its office to send copies of this order to the secretaries of the ministries of foreign affairs and interior.

“It appears that, at this point in time, very little serious effort is being made to extradite Syed Taqi Haider Shah, who is involved in a murder case in Pakistan, and Hammad Siddiqui, who is proclaimed offender in Badia Town Factory Fire case where 268 persons lost their lives, as such meaningful progress is expected on the next date of hearing,” it added.

Published in Dawn, August 15th, 2025