Lahore: A petition has been filed in a
Pakistani court asking it to direct the government to declare
the US Ambassador "persona non grata" and stop transit
facilities for supplies to American forces in Afghanistan if
Washington does not apologise for the military raid that
killed Osama bin Laden.
The petition, filed by lawyer Javed Iqbal Jaffrey in the
Lahore High Court yesterday, says the government should refer
the matter to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) if
there is no response from the US.
Jaffrey contended that the US is bound to accept the
jurisdiction of the ICJ under a treaty of friendship signed in
1959.
He said the "spineless policies" of Pakistani leaders,
including former premier Nawaz Sharif, slain ex-prime minister
Benazir Bhutto and former president Pervez Musharraf, had
"encouraged" the US to carry out the operation in Abbotabad to
kill bin Laden without any fear.
"All the leaders lack courage to stand against the US as
all have been taking dollars from it by handing over innocent
Pakistanis," he claimed.
In the petition, he asked the court to direct the
government to declare the US Ambassador "persona non grata"
and stop transit facilities for supplies to American forces in
Afghanistan if Washington does not apologise for the military
raid that killed bin Laden.
PTI
First Published: Sunday, May 15, 2011, 13:11