Pak asks UK to extradite MQM’S chief, others

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan government has asked British authorities to extradite Mutahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) founder Altaf Hussain, Muhammad Anwar and Itikhar Hussain to face charges in a case relating to the murder of Dr Imran Farooq.

The formal request to the UK has been made nearly two months ater an Anti-terrorism Court (ATC) in Islamabad handed life imprisonment to three accused Khalid Shamim, Mohsin Ali Syed and Moazzam Ali in the Imran Farooq murder case.

ATC Judge Shahrukh Arjumand remarked that the prosecution has succeeded in proving the case against the three. This was the first case ever in which almost the entire evidence for prosecution was handed over to Pakistan by the Scotland Yard through a one-off Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) formula and members of Scotland Yard’s counter-terror unit remained in Pakistan throughout the trial. Over a dozen witnesses had appeared before the trial judge via video link from London.

Pakistan has now asked the British government to hand over Altaf Hussain, Anwar and Altaf Hussain’s cousin Itikhar Hussain for prosecution in Pakistan 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.

Pakistan has asked the British government that the three accused in Pakistan were successfully convicted on the basis of evidence shared by the British authorities and the same evidence established that there was a wide “criminal conspiracy” which involved Altaf Hussain, Anwar and Itikhar Hussain.

The UK government has been informed that its own investigators made the convictions possible and both countries collaborated with each other to make it happen. While asking for the extradition of trio from London, Pakistan has also asked the UK government to investigate the three based on the ATC judgment.

In its leter to the UK government, Pakistan has said that Dr Imran Farooq’s murder was not a simple murder but a well-planned conspiracy involving meticulous planning and funding. Pakistan will be “attaching” properties of Altaf Hussain, Anwar and Itikhar Hussain in Pakistan.

The court had observed that Dr Farooq’s notes — writen and signed by him in 2008 — showed that he feared he would be killed on the pretext of trying to become the top leader in the MQM.

In a recent interview with local media, Anwar had strongly denied the murder allegations, saying there was no evidence against him. He had also said he had no knowledge of the murder and did not know anything about the plotters or abettors.