No 46/2010 2 June 2010

Missing Pakistani journalist and his crew safely repatriated thanks to

close police co-operation via INTERPOL

LYON, France – The co-operation between INTERPOL’s General Secretariat headquarters and its National
Central Bureaus in Amman, Islamabad and Jerusalem allowed the exchange of police information by all concerned
countries to confirm today the safe return of a missing Pakistani journalist and his two colleagues.

Within 48 hours of INTERPOL’s National Central Bureau (NCB) in Islamabad formally requesting INTERPOL
to issue Yellow Notices, or international missing persons alerts, for Talat Hussain Syed, Nadeem Ahmed Khan and
Raza Mehmood Agha, the INTERPOL NCB in Jerusalem had established and communicated to INTERPOL’s
headquarters their identities, location and well-being and their subsequent transfer to Jordan, where their safe arrival
on 2 June was confirmed by the NCB in Amman.

This successful outcome was achieved because of the strong personal interest taken by Pakistan’s Federal
Minister of the Interior, Rehman Malik, and the ability of INTERPOL’s National Central Bureaus to co-operate using
police channels.

“INTERPOL prides itself on being able to facilitate police-to-police co-operation between all of its 188 member
countries, even when there is conflict at the political or diplomatic level. This case is an ideal example of why it is in
the interest of all countries that police communication channels always remain open,” said INTERPOL Secretary
General Ronald K. Noble.

Minister Malik’s resolve to rapidly obtain reliable information about the location and well-being of the three
Pakistani nationals was such that he personally called Secretary General Noble to request the organization’s
immediate technical and expert assistance. Since Monday 31 May, Minister Malik has remained in constant and
direct contact with INTERPOL’s Secretary General, who in turn maintained regular contact with NCB Jerusalem
whose assistance was swift and forthcoming.

“I cannot recall another time where a Minister of Interior such as the Honourable Rehman Malik was engaged
in such direct and frequent exchanges with me in an ongoing operational matter to ensure that our National Central
Bureaus had the necessary information and support for the safe return of missing persons,” said Secretary General
Noble.

“By remaining outside of the political arena and concentrating on accessing and linking the technical expertise
of member countries’ police agencies, INTERPOL is uniquely placed to support its member countries during any
crisis.

“The successful and swift resolution to this case was due both to Minister Malik’s initial decision to seek
INTERPOL’s assistance,and to the smooth and efficient co-operation between the INTERPOL National Central
Bureaus in Amman, Islamabad and Jerusalem, who along with staff in our Command and Co-ordination Centre should
be commended for their exemplary actions,” concluded the head of INTERPOL.

Following their safe arrival in Jordan, Talat Hussain Syed and his two colleagues, Nadeem Ahmed Khan and
Raza Mehmood Agha, are now in the care of the Pakistani Embassy in Amman before their planned return to
Pakistan.
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