Altaf Hussain took Farooq out to remove threat: JIT report 

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  • FIA gets murder suspects’ custody on seven-day remand

Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain considered Dr Imran Farooq a potential ‘political threat’ against him and this led to the latter’s removal from the scene, reveals a Joint Investigation Team’s report submitted to the court by the Federal Investigation Agency regarding Farooq’s assassination.

Altaf Hussain thought that Imran Farooq could replace him as party chief and in a bid to eliminate the threat he was assassinated, said the JIT.

The report further states that the assassination was the result of a conspiracy hatched in the UK and Pakistan by Altaf Hussain, Muhammad Anwar and Iftikhar Hussain.  Khalid Shameen and Muazzam Ali Khan facilitated the attack and sent Muhammad Kashif Khan Kamran and Syed Mohsin Ali, both members of All Pakistan Muhajir Students Organisation (APMSO), to assassinate Dr Imran Farooq. In compliance with the order, Muhammad Kashif Khan Kamran and Syed Mohsin Ali killed Dr Imran Farooq in the Greenlane, Edgware area of London, UK on September 16, 2010 at around 05:30PM (GMT).

The accused conspired, assisted and committed the murder to remove the threat to Altaf’s leadership. This was also done to intimidate the public and MQM workers, particularly by creating a sense of fear and insecurity in the community. The accused committed offenses under Sections 302/120B/34/109 of the Pakistan Penal Code and Section 7 of ATA 2007, for which this criminal case is registered at the FIA’s CTWP Police Station, Islamabad.

FIA GETS REMAND:

Meanwhile, an Islamabad anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Monday handed over three suspects to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on seven-day physical remand in the Imran Farooq murder case.

Suspects Moazzam Ali, Khalid Shamim and Mohsin Ali were produced in Judge Kausar Zaidi‘s court amid tight security.

During the case proceedings, FIA officials sought ten-day remand of the accused but the court granted seven-day physical remand and directed the agency to present them on December 14 after completion of the interrogation process.

On Sunday, a duty magistrate had handed over the three accused to FIA on one day’s physical remand.

The Frontier Constabulary (FC) detained Khalid Shamim and Mohsin Ali in June this year at a border crossing in southwestern Balochistan province as they entered the country from Afghanistan. They were later handed over to the FIA.

British detectives said that last May they want to question Ali and another man, Muhammad Kashif Khan Kamran, about the attack.

Earlier on Saturday, the FIA’s counter-terrorism wing in Islamabad registered a case against Mutahidda Qaumi Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain and other party leaders in the murder of former MQM leader Dr Imran Farooq.

Others nominated in the case include Mohammad Anwar, Iftikhar Hussain, Moazzam Ali Khan, Kashif Khan Kamran, Syed Mohsin Ali, and Khalid Shamim. The case has been registered under sections 302, 34, 109, 120B of the Pakistan Penal Code and section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act.

Imran Farooq, 50, a founding member of the MQM, was stabbed and beaten to death in Edgware, northwest London, as he returned home from work in September 2010.