A Pakistani terror suspect has appeared in court here 18 months after being handed over by South Africa and is being held for alleged links to the 2005 London bombings, his lawyer has said. Khalid Mehmood Rashid (25) attended a federal review board hearing at the Supreme Court in Islamabad for the first time last week and his detention was extended by three months, his lawyer Hashmat Habib said today.
London-based human rights group Amnesty International said Rashid was handed over to Pakistan by South Africa in November 2005, and had been in the custody of Pakistan's intelligence service as of April 16. A Pakistani security source confirmed that Khalid's contacts to the London bombers were being investigated.
"Mr Rashid has already suffered 18 months of secret detention and it is totally unacceptable for the Pakistan authorities to continue to deny him access to his lawyer, family and medical care," said Erwin van der Borght, acting director of Amnesty's Africa programme. |