ISLAMABAD: Palestine Ambassa­dor Ahmed Jawad A. Rabei has challenged the seizure of his vehicle imported to Pakistan under diplomatic immunity.

Mr Rabei also challenged the show-cause notice issued to him by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).

Advocate Sikandar Naeem Qazi filed the petition on behalf of the ambassador on Wednesday. IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah will hear the petition on Thursday (today).

According to the petition, the ambassador enjoyed immunity under the Vienna Convention, but the FBR had on Aug 4 served him a show-cause notice for selling the vehicle imported to Pakistan under the diplomatic immunity.

The FBR’s Aug 4 show-cause notice was also served on businessman Basil Ahmed Affendi, informing him that the vehicle might be permanently confiscated and they might also face penalties of up to 10 times of the value of the vehicle.

Rabei questions show-cause notice issued to him by FBR

“The Ambassador, Embassy of the State of Palestine, Islamabad, and Basil Ahmed Affendi are called upon to show cause as to why the seized vehicle should not be confiscated and why penal action should not be taken against them under Section 156 for violations of the Customs Act,” said the notice.

On Tuesday, PML-N Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed raised the matter in the Senate and said the FBR had tendered an apology to the ambassador, but it was not acceptable as it had happened at a time when there were talks about recognition of Israel by Muslim countries.

He said the diplomat was not only served the notice over the import of two cars, but was also asked to appear before the FBR, which was a violation of the Vienna Convention and other international laws.

Moreover, he said, his cars were confiscated which was an “excess” committed with the ambassador of a friendly country.

The Senate chairman referred the matter to the committee on foreign affairs, headed by Mr Sayed, asking him to present a report in the house.

Leader of the House Shahzad Waseem, however, regretted the PML-N senator’s act of linking the FBR notice to the Palestine issue, terming it “inappropriate”.

However, the counsel for the ambassador told Dawn that so far the Palestine embassy had not received anything in black and white from the FBR and, therefore, the petition had been filed in the IHC.

Published in Dawn, August 20th, 2020