British police will interrogate Imran Farooq murder case suspect: Nisar

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said on Tuesday three people accused in the murder case of Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) Convener Dr Imran Khan have been detained under the Anti-Terrorism Act.

Speaking to reporters the minister said the three detained also included a man arrested two months ago from Karachi. He added that British authorities had been given authorisation to interrogate this suspect in Islamabad. According to Nisar a team of the Metropolitan Police will travel to Pakistan in one week to question the suspect.

“The man arrested in Karachi was included in the wanted list of Britain. We were in discussion with the British government and Metropolitan Police and last week through diplomatic channels informed them that in the first phase they can come and interrogate this suspect.”

Chaudhry Nisar told reports a decision on if this interrogation would be direct or indirect had not been taken.

MET Police confirm team will travel to Pakistan

Metropolitan Police sources have confirmed to Geo News that a team of detectives will reach Pakistan as part of the mutual legal assistance to question suspects in relation to the murder case of Dr Imran Farooq.

Pakistan is cooperating with Scotland Yard in this case and Commander Richard Walton’s visit to Pakistan last month broke new ground, sources said.

Scotland Yard says murder investigation of Dr Imran Farooq has made new developments and key new evidence will be revealed soon.

According to sources, Scotland Yard considers finding the killers of Dr Farooq a responsibility and need access to suspects Mohsin Ali Syed and Muhammad Kashif Khan Kamran.

Two accused held in Chaman

On June 18, the Frontier Corps (FC) Balochistan arrested two accused in the murder case of Imran Farooq from near the Pak-Afghan border.

According to a spokesman for FC, the paramilitary force, while patrolling, arrested two suspects when they were entering Pakistani territory from Afghan side of the border. The suspects were identified as Khalid Shamim and Mohsin Ali.

During interrogation, Khalid and Mohsin revealed that they hail from Karachi and have affiliation with a political party.

The spokesman went on to say that further investigation was underway and FC has decided to handover the accused to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for further interrogation.

MQM distances itself from arrested

Meanwhile, the MQM distances itself from Khalid Shamim, Mohsin Ali saying the two have nothing to do with the party.

A statement issued by the Rabita Committee in Karachi said that claims have been made regarding arrest of the two mentioned for the last four years. But, today their arrest has been made public, they added.

Dr Farooq, a prominent member of the MQM was murdered in 2010 outside his house in London as a result of multiple stabs and a blow to his head.

The Metropolitan Police and Scotland Yard have said in the past that they were in contact with the Pakistani authorities over the interrogation of the two suspects, allegedly in Pakistan’s custody.

The two Pakistani nationals were identified as 29-year-old Mohsin Ali Syed and 34-year-old Muhammad Kashif Khan Kamran by the British detectives last year.

British police had also made two arrests in connection with the killing but both suspects were later freed on bail in the United Kingdom. They believe that Dr Farooq was under surveillance in the days and weeks before his murder.

Dr Imran Farooq was twice elected an MP in Pakistan, but went into hiding in 1992 when the government ordered a military crackdown against party activists in Karachi. He later claimed asylum in Britain in 1999.