Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) founder Altaf Hussain has asked India Prime Minister Narendra Modi to grant him political asylum or help him financially if the country is unable to give refuge to the self-exiled Pakistani politician and his comrades.
The MQM founder is facing a hate speech case in London and the metropolitan police had recently relaxed his bail terms. His trial is due in June next year. His passport remains with the UK police as part of his bail conditions and he is not allowed to apply for any travel document unless permitted by the court.
In a speech posted on social media, the MQM founder said he would like to travel to India because his grandfathers were buried there.
“My grandmother is buried there and thousands of my relatives are buried there in India. I want to go to India to their graves,” said the MQM founder in a request to the Indian government headed by fundamentalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Addressing Modi, Altaf said that his assets, house and offices were taken over in Karachi after August 22 speech in 2017. He asked the Indian prime minister to help him with money if he cannot take the risk of providing him asylum.
CHARGED UNDER TERRORISM ACT:
Hussain, who had earlier in the day appeared at a London police station after his bail expired, was charged by detectives from the Met Police’s Counter Terrorism Command.
“Altaf Hussain […], of Abbey View, Mill Hill, NW7, was charged under section 1(2) of the Terrorism Act (TACT) 2006 with encouraging terrorism,” the Met Police said in a statement on its website.
The charge as stated by the UK police is that Hussain “On 22 August 2016 published a speech to crowds gathered in Karachi, Pakistan which were likely to be understood by some or all of the members of the public to whom they were published as a direct or indirect encouragement to them to the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism and at the time he published them, intended them to be so encouraged, or was reckless as to whether they would be so encouraged.”
The Met Police said: “Hussain was previously arrested on 11 June on suspicion of intentionally encouraging or assisting offences contrary to Section 44 of the Serious Crime Act 2007. He was released on bail and subsequently charged as above.”
