Khawaja Asif. Photo: File

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif revealed on Wednesday that the US embassy official who killed a motorcyclist during a road accident in Islamabad is still in the country.

Asif made the remarks in the National Assembly in response to a lawmaker's question on the status of the case following rumours that the diplomat may have left the country.

Asif assured the house that the law will take its course in the case, adding that the US embassy has assured the government of cooperation in the matter.



He added that police are also investigating the case.

The official vehicle of US Defence and Air Attaché Joseph Emanuel Hall rammed into a motorcycle in the federal capital on Saturday, killing a young man and injuring another.

Following the accident, police escorted the diplomat’s car to the Kohsar Police Station and registered a case. However, after an initial probe, the official was let go but his vehicle remains impounded.

Police sources explained later that the official cannot be arrested owing to the Vienna Convention which shields diplomats from local laws. Officials later expressed apprehension that the diplomat may be whisked out of the country, and according to some reports, wrote to the Interior Ministry in this regard to place the individual on the Exit Control List.

Following outrage over the incident, Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua had recorded a strong protest with the US envoy, who was summoned to the ministry. US Ambassador David Hale expressed grief over the incident and assured authorities of complete cooperation.

Three Pakistanis held in Guantanamo: Asif



Moving on, the minister stated that three Pakistanis are presently incarcerated in the controversial US-run special prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, adding that the government is in touch with the US administration over the matter.

He claimed that former army chief and president General Pervez Musharraf picked up and transferred Pakistanis, suspected to be terrorists, to the US in return for bounty money.

When Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf member Ali Khan brought up the issue of Pakistan’s prime minister going through security checks during his visit to the US, Asif clarified that Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi was on a private visit to America and had not sought official protocol.

Over 8.5 million Pakistanis settled abroad

Moreover, during today’s session, the Foreign Ministry submitted in the assembly a written response on the number of Pakistanis who have settled abroad.

It noted that the number has increased in the last year, and attributed better educational institutes in foreign countries as the reason. It also noted that Pakistanis tend not to register themselves as overseas nationals in Pakistani foreign missions.

It was revealed in the reply that more than 8.5 million Pakistanis are settled abroad at present, adding that since January 2013, more than 3.7 million Pakistanis moved abroad.

During his speech, Asif also asserted that Pakistan has a neutral role when it comes to the Syrian conflict and seeks resolution of the issue through dialogue.