Govt expects London to proceed against Altaf

ISLAMABAD: Following interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan’s Wednesday meeting with British High Commissioners Philip Barton, Islamabad expects from London to proceed against the MQM Chief Altaf Hussain for his recent objectionable statements.
Government sources said that besides other related issues, the two also discussed Dr Imran Farooq case and the connected arrest of two suspect murderers who were arrested by the Pakistani agencies upon their arrival at Karachi airport.Without sharing the precise details of what the government expects from London, these sources said, “You may see some proceedings starting any time.”
In the meeting held at the Punjab House in Islamabad, the interior minister took up with the British High Commissioner the MQM chief’s recent objectionable statements against the Pakistan armed forces. He also reminded the British diplomat of some past similar objectionable statements of the London-based MQM chief.
Chaudhry Nisar also shared with the British High Commissioner the latest FIR lodged against Altaf Hussain. Nisar reportedly underlined that no one should be allowed to sit in UK and deliver statements against the security agencies of Pakistan. The case against Altaf Hussain was registered last Tuesday in Civil Lines Police Station, Karachi on the complaint of Rangers’ spokesman Colonel Tahir.
Regarding the handing over of two murder suspects to Britian, Pakistan authorities are faced with some legal impediments and other complications. It is said that Pakistan and Britain do not have any extradition treaty in the absence of which no such handing over of suspects could be possible. The sources said that there are alsosome other complications involved in this particular issue. The Pakistani authorities have been reluctant to hand over the two suspects sought by the Scotland Yard in relation to their investigation into the assassination of Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s former convenor Dr Imran Farooq who was killed in a knife attack on September 2010.
On November 11, 2012, the London Metropolitan Police Commissioner Bernard Hogan had disclosed exclusively to Geo News that two suspects were in the custody of Pakistani authorities on suspicion of killing Dr Imran Farooq.
The Pakistani security agencies remained silent about the men in their custody because they feared that they could be eliminated too if given under the civilian control and something could happen to them.
According to media reports, the British authorities are of the firm view that Pakistani security authorities have two or more people in their custody who know the full details about the plot that led to the assassination of Dr Imran Farooq - and the same persons were actors of the same plot too.
The two important suspects are said to have been questioned extensively by Pakistani authorities but it is understood that the Pakistani government feels uncomfortable about fully cooperating with the British authorities because of some unexplained complications involved.
However, according to the reports the Pakistani authorities in the past did send some confidential reports to Scotland Yard, based on the investigations of the two suspects but never allowed direct access to the investigators at Scotland Yard.