Observer Report
London
The Pakistani government has asked its British counterpart to extradite MQM leader and founder Altaf Hussain, as well as Muhammad Anwar and Iftikhar Hussain, to face charges related to the Imran Farooq murder case.
The formal request to the UK came nearly two months after an anti-terrorism court in Islamabad handed life imprisonment to Khalid Shamim, Mohsin Ali Syed, and Moazzam Ali — the three men accused in the Imran Farooq murder case.
Dr Farooq was killed almost 10 years ago on September 16, 2010, outside his home in Edgware in north London. ATC Judge Shahrukh Arjumand had remarked that the prosecution succeeded in proving the case against the three. This was the first-ever case in which the Scotland Yard handed over almost the entire evidence to Pakistan for prosecution via a one-off mutual legal assistance agreement, with members of its counter-terror unit present in Pakistan throughout the trial. Over a dozen witnesses from London had appeared before the trial judge via video link. Pakistan has now asked the British government to hand over Hussain, his cousin, Iftikhar, and Anwar for prosecution in the country in the same case. While handing life sentence to the three accused, the court had declared the London-based MQM leaders as “wanted” in the case.
In its letter to the UK government, Pakistan said Dr Farooq’s murder was not a simple one but a well-planned conspiracy involving meticulous planning and funding. The source further shared that Pakistan would be “attaching” the properties of Hussain, Anwar and Hussain in Pakistan. The ATC had issued perpetual arrest warrants for the three, as well as Muhammad Kashif Khan Kamran, who is believed to have died in police custody. The court, in its detailed order, had stated that it was proved that the “MQM founder gave the orders” to murder Farooq.
