Pakistan pushes UK for extradition, but legal experts warn of ‘near-impossibility’

As Pakistan intensifies efforts to secure the return of former prime ministerial adviser Shahzad Akbar and retired Maj. Adil Raja from the United Kingdom, a central question is dominating legal and diplomatic circles: Is it realistically possible to bring them home?

Senior lawyers and government officials appear divided, with one group arguing that extradition under British law is nearly impossible, while others insist Pakistan still has viable legal options to pursue the case.

The debate sharpened Thursday after Pakistan handed over extradition files for both men during a meeting between Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and British High Commissioner Jane Marriott in Islamabad.

Naqvi urged the United Kingdom to take “immediate” action, accusing the two UK-based individuals of running online campaigns targeting Pakistan’s state institutions. He said Pakistan respects free expression, but said no country can tolerate fabricated allegations or orchestrated disinformation against national institutions.

Sharp legal warnings

Yet legal experts warn that the path forward is far from simple.

Former Attorney General Ashtar Ausaf dismissed the notion that London might hand over the two men, calling such expectations “legally impossible.” Speaking to Nukta, he said decades of failed cases illustrate how British courts handle Pakistan’s requests.

“If you ask whether it is legally possible for them to be handed over to Pakistan, no, it is not possible,” he said. “There are many examples in the past where Pakistan tried but could not succeed.”

Ausaf cited past attempts to bring back Aftab Gul, sought in the Zia-ul-Haq missile case, and Altaf Hussain, accused of murder and terrorism, both of whom remained in the UK despite Islamabad’s efforts.

He recalled that even during the tenure of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, the UK declined to act on Pakistan’s request for the return of former finance minister Ishaq Dar, despite high-level engagement between the two governments.

Other legal views emerge

But not all legal analysts say the effort is futile.

Hafiz Ahsaan Ahmad Khokhar, a Supreme Court advocate and constitutional specialist, argues that Pakistan can still pursue the return of Akbar and Raja even without a formal extradition treaty.

He cited options including mutual legal assistance, Interpol Red Notices, case-specific diplomatic arrangements, and provisions under Pakistan’s Extradition Act of 1972 and the UK’s Extradition Act of 2003.

According to Khokhar, the UK evaluates such requests based on evidence, human-rights compliance, and whether the alleged offenses are political.

Speech-related accusations face significant barriers, he said, but nonpolitical, evidence-based charges with fair-trial guarantees could open the door to cooperation.

He added that precedents exist in which individuals have been returned to Pakistan through discretionary or case-specific arrangements, especially in national security matters.