Ex-MQM leader asks founder's aide to give London property to Shumaila

LONDON: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) former finance secretary Tariq Mir has initiated eviction legal proceedings against Mustafa Azizabadi, the closest aide of MQM founder, to get the 221-A Whitchurch Lane property in Edgware, London vacated. Mir wants to give the property to murdered MQM leader Dr Imran Farooq’s widow and her two sons to live there.

According to documents obtained by this reporter, Mir is also seeking to receive £25,000 from Mustafa Azizabadi in arrears in Mir’s capacity as the landlord of 221 Whitchurch Lane property, in which he shares ownership with Muhammad Anwar.

Through legal action, Mir has asked the current tenant, Mustafa Ali (commonly known as Mustafa Azizabadi), to vacate 221-A White Church Lane, Edgware, HA8 6QT and clear the arrears of £25,000 or else evict the property after a court judgment.

Former MQM MPA Sufiyan Yousuf and his family occupy the upper floor of 221 Whitchurch Lane.

Papers seen by this reporter show that Mir has approached Barnet County Court to issue a removal judgment against Azizabadi after a trial. The date will be set soon for the trial whereby the case will be decided after both parties are heard.

Mir decided to approach the court after his negotiations with the MQM failed. He had asked the MQM leadership to vacate and give the ground floor portion to Shumaila Imran Farooq, the widow of Dr Imran Farooq, who currently lives in a dilapidated building in abject conditions with her two sons, Alishaan and Wejdaan.

According to sources close to Tariq Mir, the MQM refused to engage with the former finance secretary.

In 2004, two properties on Whitchurch Lane – 221 and 185 – were bought under the names of Tariq Mir and Muhammad Anwar who were considered the closest financial and political aides, respectively, to Altaf Hussain. The current values of both properties are over £1.5 million.

The MQM-London leadership accepts that these properties are under the names of Mir and Anwar, but they say that this was an arrangement approved by the party and the ultimate beneficiary should be Altaf Hussain. However, Mir and Anwar are of the view that these properties belong to the ordinary workers, martyrs and dependents of MQM and not Altaf Hussain or the MQM he runs from London.

Both of them have argued that at least in one part of the Whitchurch Lane property, Dr Imran Farooq’s widow should be allowed to live as she suffers from cancer and lives in poor conditions.

The other property, 185 Whitchurch Lane, now houses MQM’s International Secretariat after Altaf Hussain put the Edgware House office on sale a few months ago.

A copy of the notice sent initially to Azizabadi states: “We have been instructed by your landlord Tariq Mir in relation to the above property. We hereby serve upon you a notice under section 8 of the Housing Act 1988.”

The letter warned Azizabadi that should he fail to clear the areas of £25,000, Mir will seek to issue legal proceedings without further notice. It added: “This could lead to a country court judgment being made against you or a possession order and bailiffs attending the property.”

The notice added that the landlord and the licensor intended to apply to the court for an order requiring the occupant to give up possession of ground floor flat 21-A Whitchurch Lane.

Both properties were originally bought under the names of Mir and Anwar but both were put in a trust dedicated to MQM workers in 2012.

Current and former MQM leaders have confirmed that the trust was formalised for the benefit of the people of MQM and the people of Karachi – and not for the personal benefit of Altaf Hussain and his current associates. The trust deed, seen by this reporter, makes it clear that the ultimate beneficiaries are workers of the MQM-Pakistan and not any individual. At the time of the registration of the trust, MQM-London was not registered as a political entity in Britain.

Around a year ago, Mir and Anwar received a letter from the MQM’s leader asking them to transfer the ownership of both these properties. Both of them refused to transfer the properties to Altaf Hussian’s name.

A few days later, a demonstration was held outside the house of Mir calling him names. A source in MQM-London said that MQM is Altaf Hussain, and therefore the properties belong to him and were bought with the money he collected or people donated to him.

Mir and Anwar say that these properties will remain properties of the trust and for the benefit of the MQM people and the most deserving of all is Shumaila Imran Farooq. They have said that Shumaila and her two sons are a test case for Altaf Hussain and he should prove that he was sincere when he said that he will forever look after the children and widows of Dr Imran Farooq.

The MQM leader owns under his own names his Mill Hill House where he lives, MQM International Secretariat floor and three properties nearby. The current worth of all his properties at the current market rate is around £15 million.