‘It was all oral with British, nothing written’

• Minister denies giving any dossier on MQM chief to UK, says he only talked to UK HC over Altaf Hussain’s ‘tone’
• Says he cannot confirm killing of TTP chief Mullah Fazlullah in airstrikes in Tirah Valley

Federal Minister for Interior Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Tuesday said that the government has not handed over any documents related to Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain to the United Kingdom (UK) authorities.

Addressing a press conference, the interior minister said that he had only talked to the British high commissioner about the FIR registered against the MQM chief and his speeches.

“With the British ambassador, I talked about threats given by Altaf to Rangers and his threatening speeches,” he said, adding that he asked the British ambassador about UK laws; whether they allowed anyone to deliver hate speeches from their soil in Pakistan.

The interior minister’s statement came a day after the MQM chief claimed that Nisar had handed over some documents to British authorities regarding him and his party.

To a question regarding putting names of MQM leaders on the Exit Control List (ECL), the minister said that no one was put on ECL without proofs. He added that a new ECL policy will be evolved.

Answering a question on Karachi Operation, Nisar said that the operation was launched with consensus of all political parties, including MQM, which had demanded handing over Karachi to the army.

The interior minister reiterated that Saulat Mirza’s execution was halted upon Balochistan government’s request and that it was further delayed in order to investigate the fresh allegations levelled by Mirza against MQM leadership. He added that Mirza will now be executed on April 1, as per the fresh death warrants issued by the court.

Talking about death-row inmate Shafqat Hussain who was allegedly a juvenile at the time of sentencing, Nisar said the convict’s age was not contested during trial and appeals. He said the government halted the execution for a month in order to ensure that the due process was followed in the conviction and sentencing and to determine his accurate age.

Rejecting foreign pressure by establishing that Hussain’s execution was “country’s internal matter”, the minister said providing justice to the boy the convict murdered is equally important.

Earlier, the minister said UK’s government wrote to him last year, informing that a murder convict was brought to Pakistan under a pact. He said that officials responsible for release of four convicted prisoners extradited from the UK would be brought to book.

About Mullah Fazlullah, the interior minister said he could not confirm if he was dead or alive.