West Yorkshire police has highly praised the Pakistani authorities on their assistance in extraditing a Bradford man who was wanted in connection to two murders.
The rare handover Pakistan’s authorities and the UK, is the first in over a decade.
Mohammed Zubair is charged with a double murder f 27-year-old Imran Khan and 35-year-old Ahmedin Sayed Khyel, who were found dead in New Lane, Tong in May 2011.
Zubair, of Heath Terrace, Barkerend, has been in custody in Pakistan since November 2013.
Police are currently questioning Mohammed Zubair – who was 31 at the time of the murders. He appeared before Bradford Magistrates Court on Thursday 19th May.
Senior Investigating Officer Detective Superintendent Simon Atkinson, said: “After five years, West Yorkshire Police has managed to arrange the extradition of Mohammed Zubair, who has been held in custody in Pakistan since November 2013.
“I would like to praise the Pakistani authorities for their assistance and endeavours in not only securing his arrest, but also ensuring his extradition back to the UK.
“This has been a process that has taken a long time to come to fruition, and is the first instance in more than 10 years that anyone has been extradited from Pakistan to the UK.”
A senior official at Pakistan’s Interior Ministry confirmed that Zubair had been ‘extradited very recently’.
The UK and Pakistan have become more co-operative in recent years to solve major crime cases, yet there is no extradition treaty between the countries.
A Pakistani Interior Ministry spokesman said the signing of such a treaty had been a longstanding issue.
However, present minister, Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, has said the lack of a settlement will not “halt the exchange of criminals and Pakistan will extradite suspects based on mutual cooperation.”
