UK agrees to hand over Imran Farooq murder evidence to Pakistan

LONDON: The British government has agreed to hand over the full evidence file of the Imran Farooq murder case to Pakistan for the trial and prosecution of murder suspects: Mohsin Ali Syed, Moazzam Ali Khan and Khalid Shamim.

Additional Attorney General Sajjad Bhatti presented the “acceptance letter” before the Islamabad High Court on Tuesday. Toby Cadman, the counsel for the Pakistan government in London, took letter with him to Pakistan and was present in the court when the letter was placed before the court.

Toby Cadman told this reporter: “Following a request for Mutual Legal Assistance to transfer evidence relevant to the murder inquiry into the death of Dr Imran Farooq, the prosecution in Pakistan has received from the United Kingdom Central Authority (UKCA) an acceptance letter confirming the transfer of evidence in the possession of the UK Authorities.”

Cadman confirmed that he had travelled to Pakistan to deliver the letter of acceptance and evidence and to attend the high court hearings.

He added: “This clearly demonstrates the level of cooperation between the two states and is a significant step forward in the fight against serious and organised crime.” An application was made day before yesterday in the Islamabad High Court to seek a period of time to present the evidence obtained from the UK authorities, collected as part of their investigations into the murder of Imran Farooq, and for an officer of the Metropolitan Police Service to produce the evidence and provide his statement on the investigation. Writing on behalf of Secretary of the State, the UK Central Authority official confirmed that Pakistan requested for assistance dated on 21st February 2019 by Sikandar Hayat of the Ministry of Interior.

The letter stated that “the request has been considered and accepted by the UKCA on behalf of the Secretary of State in relation on the assurance against the imposition of the death penalty given in your letter of 26 June 2019, the promulgation of the Pakistan Penal Code (amendment) Bill 2019 and on the basis that the defendants continue to be detained in compliance with international human rights laws”.

The Home Office letter confirmed: “The letter of request dated 21st February has been forwarded to the Metropolitan Police Service who are in the process of reviewing and collating the evidence sought. I will continue discussions with Toby Cadman to arrange transmission on any expedited basis. Please note that this evidence may not be used for any purpose other than that specified in your letter of request, namely the prosecution of Khalid Shamim, Syed Mohsin Ali and Moazzam Ali Khan before the honourable Anti-Terrorism Court. Should you wish to use this evidence for any other purpose you must seek the consent of the UKCA in advance of the material being used.” Earlier in September, it was reported that Shumaila Imran Farooq, the widow of MQM's slain founding leader Dr Imran Farooq, had been diagnosed with cancer.