Interpol drops Pakistan's request for extradition of Zulfi Bukhari

Interpol has dropped a request for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Zulfi Bukhari's extradition, a month after clearing Moonis Elahi in a corruption case.

The International Criminal Police Organisation’s General Secretariat confirmed that it has dropped its probe into Syed Zulfikar Abbas Bukhari, according to a media report. It said that Zulfi Bukhari is no longer “subject to an INTERPOL notice or diffusion”.

About two years back, Pakistan’s interior ministry had asked Interpol to issue red notices for both Moonis Elahi and Zulfi Bukhari. In its request, the ministry said that Zulfi Bukhari was involved in incidents of terrorism, including violence outside the Judicial Complex during court appearances by former prime minister Imran Khan.

The interior ministry had also urged Interpol to assist in securing Zulfi Bukhari’s return to Pakistan in connection with the Al-Qadir Trust case.

In a written response sent to Zulfi Bukhari’s legal team, Interpol said it had reviewed the matter and carried out necessary checks. The letter said that the information shared by Pakistani authorities had been removed from Interpol’s system.

It further confirmed that Zulfi Bukhari is currently not subject to any Interpol notice or diffusion.