Arfan Bhatti is charged with complicity in serious terrorism after the mass shooting in Oslo on 25 June last year. He faces 30 years in prison if found guilty. Bhatti denies having anything to do with the shooting. He is now in custody in Pakistan. The court in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, has been considering for five weeks whether Arfan Bhatti can be extradited to Norway. The Ministry of the Interior in Pakistan adopted this in November last year at the request of the Norwegian authorities. Since Bhatti opposes the decision on extradition, the case must be decided by a court. The evidence Bhatti’s lawyer, Zia ut Rehman, has asked the court to release Bhatti on bail. He says there is no danger of tampering with evidence – This case can take many months, perhaps a year, and my client does not intend to go anywhere until he is cleared, says Rehman to news. Bhatti’s defender Zia Ur Rehman believes that the Norwegian police must present the evidence in court. Bhatti was, according to sources, arrested by the anti-terrorist police in September last year, but brought before the court only in April this year. He was then transferred to the Federal Police (FIA). Since then, his detention has been extended from week to week. The judge in the case has called for the Norwegian evidence which is the very basis for the extradition decision. These have been transferred by the Norwegian police and have been assessed by the FIA, which believes that the evidence against Bhatti fits the charge. According to the plan, the evidence was to be presented on Tuesday. Defense lawyer Rehman strongly objected to this, saying that it was against Pakistani legal rules that the FIA presented the evidence when they themselves had not conducted the investigation. According to Rehman, Pakistani legal rules do not allow anyone other than those who have investigated a case to present evidence in court. – Will delay the process The police attorney referred to previous case law where exceptions have been made in extradition cases. In these cases, the Ministry of the Interior has been allowed to present evidence in cases where foreign partners do not have the opportunity to appear in court. Arfan Bhatti on his way into a courtroom in Pakistan. The Norwegian police are now trying to have the Islamist extradited to Norway. – This is an extradition case, not a criminal case, said the police attorney. He said that it is the Ministry of Home Affairs that has decided that Bhatti should be extradited. – Therefore, we are the ones who must present evidence for why we believe that the Norwegian charge is valid. – The defense attorney is only trying to delay the whole process, a source told news on Tuesday. The Ministry of the Interior also expresses dissatisfaction with the judge taking a long time to deal with the case. Outside the court premises in Islamabad. Photo: news It is being considered to take up the matter with the Chief Commissioner Office, Islamabad to which the local court is subject. Rehman was satisfied with the court proceedings today and said his client is in good spirits. The court resumes the assessment of evidence on Thursday 15 June.
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