Interpol turns down Pakistan’s bid to extradite Moonis Elahi

LAHORE: Interpol has declined the Pakistani government’s request to extradite former federal minister and senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) figure Moonis Elahi, citing a lack of credible evidence in the money laundering, murder and other cases he was accused of.

Moonis, who has been residing in Spain for nearly three years following the state’s crackdown on PTI, was the focus of an aggressive extradition push led by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi. The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had submitted documents to Interpol over the past two years aiming to substantiate the charges.

In its response, Interpol said, “Moonis Elahi is not subject to any Interpol notice or diffusion as of today,” effectively dismissing Pakistan’s request, Dawn News reported.

An FIA source confirmed that Interpol closed its review due to insufficient evidence. “Despite the FIA’s pursuit of the matter, it seems Interpol viewed several allegations as politically motivated,” the official said.

The government’s plea had also relied on a murder case filed by Gujrat police. However, that case fell apart after a local court withdrew Moonis’s arrest warrants and declared the allegations unfounded, bolstering the defence’s claim of political victimisation.

Moonis’s lawyer, Amir Rawn, said Interpol’s decision vindicated his client. He argued that the accusations, ranging from murder to corruption, were part of a campaign by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government to punish the Elahi family for supporting Imran Khan.

“Moonis Elahi deserves an apology for the baseless cases used to target him,” he said, adding that the family had faced relentless pressure since the PML-N returned to power. He claimed Moonis’s criticism of leaders like Mohsin Naqvi and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz made him a particular target, calling the situation an example of the state using institutions to silence political opponents.