JIT on MQM likely after Merchant’s statement

ISLAMABAD/LONDON: Pakistan’s Interior Ministry is likely to form a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) after receiving evidence from Sarfraz Merchant in relation to the allegations by Scotland Yard that the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) received money from the RAW, India’s prime intelligence agency.

Sources told The News that Sarfraz Merchant made highly crucial disclosures during his meeting with the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) officials here. Sarfraz Merchant handed over the papers to the FIA officials in which the Scotland Yard have said that it has “credible evidence” that the MQM received money from the RAW.

Sources told that Sarfraz Merchant’s statements before the FIA officials are of explosive nature and everything that he has said is based on the Scotland Yard briefing papers.

The source said that the JIT will have the remit of looking into the wider issues relating to the allegations on the MQM and could have far reaching consequences for the party as far its operations and existence in the UK and Pakistan is concerned.

Sarfraz Merchant has said that he intends to further cooperate with the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in relation to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement related inquiry set up on the instructions of Interior Minister Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan.

Sarfraz Merchant said this after arriving at the Heathrow airport yesterday from Karachi. Sources have said that Merchant stayed in Pakistan for a week and met the FIA investigators in the capital city where he was asked questions for about four hours.

Sarfraz Merchant told Geo News that he had met the FIA officials to record his statement and, as a citizen of Pakistan, he will continue to cooperate with the Pakistani authorities. Merchant confirmed that he had shared evidence with the FIA and answered their questions in relation to the allegations that the MQM received money from RAW and laundered money from Pakistan to the UK.

Sarfraz Merchant said: 'I have given all evidence to the FIA officials. I met the investigators in Islamabad and it was a detailed and thorough questions and answer session. I have not talked about anything but facts and facts only, based on the Scotland Yard papers about MQM and its links with the RAW. I have told FIA I am available for cooperation at anytime as a citizen of Pakistan."

The Interior Minsiter had ordered FIA to investigate into Sarfaraz Merchant’s statement given during Geo News programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’ in connection with the London money laundering case. Sarfraz Merchant told the Geo programme that he was in possession of the Scotland Yard papers which alleged the UK police had “credible evidence” that the MQM received money from the Indian intelligence agency RAW. He said that a list of highly explosive weapons was also found from the house of Altaf Hussain during a police raid.