Zubair Qureshi
Islamabad
An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) on Thursday while handing life imprisonment and imposing a fine of Rs2 million fine on three accused in connection with the murder of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader Dr Imran Farooq ruled that party founder Altaf Hussain had ordered the assassination.
The three convicted murderers have also been directed by the court to pay Rs1m each to the next of kin to the assassinated leader of the MQM.
In its judgment, a copy of which is available with Pakistan Observer the court said “it is expected from the governments of Pakistan and UK that absconders [MQM founder Altaf Hussain, Iftikhar Hussain, Mohammad Anwar and Kashif Kamran] will be traced, arrested and brought before court as soon as possible.” According to ATC Judge Shahrukh Arjumand, it had been “proved that Altaf Hussain ordered the killing of Dr Imran Farooq” in 2010 in London.
“The prosecution has successfully proved the case against all three of you,” said the judge as the accused – Khalid Shamim, Mohsin Ali and Moazzam Ali – were produced before the judge via video link.
The three had confessed to assassinating the politician because he was a “potent threat to the leadership of the MQM”, essentially founder of the party Altaf Hussain.
The court has also directed the Pakistan and British governments to arrest the four absconding accused in the case — Altaf Hussain, Iftikhar Hussain, Mohammad Anwar and Kashif Kamran.
The court ruled that two senior party leaders based in London “conveyed Hussain’s orders to the relevant people in Pakistan.”
The accused Moazzam Ali, another senior member working at Nine Zero [the headquarters of MQM in Karachi] and the accused Khalid Shamim engaged accused Syed Mohsin Ali and Kashif Khan Kamran to execute Farooq.
The two executors were properly facilitated who went with the sole purpose to London for committing the murder and as per pre-planned conspiracy and because of the conspiracy an innocent person was brutally murdered.
“The act of abettors and executors was preconceived with a design to intimidate and overawe the public in general and workers of the MQM in particular so that in future no one can raise voice against Altaf Hussain, the leader of MQM,” the judgement observed. “The motive thus for murdering Imran Farooq upon the orders of Altaf Hussain and other senior [MQM] leadership is proved because of his [Imran Farooq’s] strong position and services in the party.”
The judgement termed the case “historical in nature” as an agreement was made between two sovereign countries for sharing documentary evidence.
The British High Commissioner to Pakistan Dr Christian Turner said that the conviction “marked a team effort between law agencies in the UK and Pakistan working together to get justice for the murder of Dr Imran Farooq”.
A statement from the British High Commission said that the conviction came about after a “ground-breaking piece of collaboration” between the two countries, which allowed evidence gathered by the Metropolitan Police to be shared with Pakistani prosecutors.
