Islamabad has refused to hand over the former head of the country’s Inter-Services Intelligence agency, to an international tribunal investigating war crimes in Bosnia.

Javed Nasir, a retired Lieutenant General, has been accused by The Hague of supporting Bosnian Muslim fighters, despite a UN embargo at the time, and has demanded his custody.

Official sources told the Express Tribune that Pakistan has rejected the demand on medical grounds, saying that the former general had “lost his memory” after a road accident and would be unable to face investigations on the matter.

Nasir apparently confessed his support for the Muslim fighters while petitioning against an English daily in an anti-terrorism court stating, “despite the UN ban on supply of arms to the besieged Bosnians, he successfully airlifted sophisticated anti-tank guided missiles which turned the tide in favour of Bosnian Muslims and forced the Serbs to lift the siege, much to the annoyance of the US government”.

The information came to light after former Yugoslavian Army Chief Momcilo Persic and General Mladic cited Nasir’s support for the Bosnian Muslim rebels as reasons for them to retaliate against the Muslims, during their respective war crimes trials.

Persic was sentenced to 27 years imprisonment for war crimes and crimes against humanity, including for his role in the infamous Srebenica massacre.