Pak requests UK to extradite Zardari shoe thrower

Pakistan has requested the British government to extradite Shamim Khan, the man who reportedly hurled his shoes at President Asif Ali Zardari during an event at Birmingham earlier this month.

The interior ministry has provided details of Khan's "criminal record" to British authorities and requested them to hand him over to Pakistan so that he can be brought to justice.

"Shamim Khan, a resident of Palai Gala of Sehnsa sub-division in Azad Kashmir, has been declared a proclaimed offender in a case of attempted murder.

In 1993, he had shot and injured his opponent and an inspector and then managed to flee to Britain," a source told PTI.  A case had been registered against Khan in Palai Gala police station, the source said.

"The inspector injured by Khan is now the DSP of Kotali and the other person fired at has become handicapped and incapacitated," the source added.

After escaping from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, Khan stayed with his friend Mushtaq in Britain.

"Later Mushtaq was murdered by his son and Khan was interrogated by the British police but somehow he got away," the source said.

One of Khan's sons too was caught at Islamabad airport while trying to board a London-bound flight with opium.

"While the British interior ministry is only interested in Khan's criminal record, we have tried to unearth who is behind the conspiracy hatched against President Zardari during his visit to Brimingham," a senior Pakistan People's Party leader said.

"It has been established that Khan had never been a Pakistan Peoples Party worker and he entered the Birmingham convention along with Lord Nazir Ahmed," the PPP leader said.

Khan later claimed to be a close associate of Pakistan Muslim League-N's PoK chapter president Raja Farooq Haider. Haider, however, has denied this. "I would like to ask those who portrayed Khan as a thorough gentleman to verify these facts," he said.

The PPP's leadership is contemplating action against party workers tasked to make arrangements for the function in Birmingham. Sources said Khan had taken advantage of "mismanagement" in distribution of invitation cards and managed to enter the gathering.

Fauzia Habib, the political secretary of Zardari, had been given the task of distributing the invitation cards.