US diplomat involved in fatal collision leaves Pakistan

In this file photo, Pakistani protesters carry placards during a demonstration against the killing of a local resident in a car accident involving a US diplomat in Islamabad on April 25, 2018. (AFP)

• “We can confirm that the American diplomat who was involved in a tragic accident on April 7 in Islamabad has departed Pakistan,” US Embassy spokesperson Richard Snelsire said
• Col. Joseph Emanuel Hall had killed a young Pakistani in a road accident after he jumped a red light while driving in Islamabad last month

ISLAMABAD: US diplomat Col. Joseph Emanuel Hall, who was initially barred from leaving Pakistan after his involvement in a fatal traffic collision, left the country on Monday evening, a US Embassy official told Arab News.
“We can confirm that the American diplomat who was involved in a tragic accident on April 7 in Islamabad has departed Pakistan,” US Embassy spokesperson Richard Snelsire said.
Hall, a US Defense and Air Attache, had violated two traffic light offenses on the afternoon of April 7, ramming two motorcyclists with his white armored SUV in Islamabad.
Motorcyclist, Ateeq Baig, was killed and his pillion rider, Raheel Ahmed, sustained serious injuries, according to police officials who impounded his vehicle. Hall could not be arrested due to his diplomatic status.
There were no details on how the matter was eventually resolved, but the incident has strained ties between the US and Pakistan.
An attempt to bring the diplomat home over the weekend failed. According to military sources, the US had sent a C-130 aircraft from Bagram, Afghanistan to take the colonel home.
“Eight members from the US Embassy, including officials from the US air force, came to the [Nur Khan] Airbase with US Defense and Air Attache Col. Joseph Emanuel Hall’s passport and luggage but after [verifying his travel document], the FIA [Federal Investigation Agency] informed the US officials that Col. Hall was on the block list and, hence, barred him from leaving the country,” they told Arab News.
A court ruling had earlier declared that Hall did not enjoy “absolute immunity” from criminal prosecution in the traffic violation and fatal accident, ordering the authorities to decide in two weeks whether his name could be placed on the exit control list (ECL).
The Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations of 1961, which was endorsed by Pakistan under the 1972 Diplomatic and Consular Privileges Act, ensures that serving diplomats are not subject to lawsuits and prosecution under the legal framework of the host country. Pakistan is a signatory to the Vienna Convention.
Dr. Mohammad Faisal, a spokesman for the Foreign Office, had also pointed out that under the articles dealing with diplomatic immunity in the Vienna Convention, the possibility of holding Hall in Pakistan for criminal proceedings was unlikely.
Hall’s diplomatic status card, issued by the Foreign Office, is due to expire on May 31.