KARACHI: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Wednesday indicted three accused in the murder of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader Dr Imran Farooq.
During the hearing held by ATC Judge Shahrukh Arjumand, Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Prosecutor Khawaja Imtiaz presented charge sheet against three accused, Mohsin Ali, Khalid Shamim, and Moazzam Ali.
Farooq’s murder was planned in Karachi and London, the charge sheet stated.
As the hearing proceeded, the court summoned witnesses, FIA Counter-Terrorism Wing’s Abdul Mannan and Additional Deputy Commissioner Captain (r) Shoaib Ali, at the next hearing on May 8 to record their statements.
The hearing took place in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail, where the accused are being held.
In their earlier statement, Mohsin Ali and Shamim told the court that Farooq was killed in London because he was a threat to the leadership of MQM.
After the suspension of his membership from MQM, the party founder, during a speech, said that Farooq can be killed, Shamim told the court.
As per a copy of the statement, after the speech of MQM founder, party leader Muhammad Anwar told Shamim to “listen to the speech carefully as the Quaid has left a message for him”.
“Therefore, I killed Imran Farooq in London on September 16, 2010, as a birthday gift to MQM founder,” Shamim said in his statement.
A case against MQM founder and leaders over Farooq’s murder was registered in December 2015 by FIA. The three accused were arrested in the same year over their reported involvement in the murder.
Further, ATC ordered to seize all the properties in Pakistan and block the CNIC of MQM founder as the court issued arrest warrants for him.