ISLAMABAD, June 2: Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan left for London on Saturday to launch legal proceedings there against a political rival he blames for clashes in Karachi last month in which 40 people were killed.

Mr Khan aims to have a British court try Altaf Hussain, as the founder of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) has British citizenship and has been living there for more than a decade. “The idea is to bring him to justice,” Mr Khan told reporters at the Islamabad International airport.

“Clearly we cannot do so in Pakistan. The reign of terrorism and fascism that Altaf Hussain unleashed on May 12 is also about to end,” Mr Khan said.

He says members of his Tehrik-i-Insaaf party were targeted on May 12 when gun battles broke out between government supporters and opposition party workers who had come out on the streets to greet a judge who has become a symbol of resistance to President Pervez Musharraf’s authority.

Mr Khan’s accusation against Hussain provoked protests in Karachi recently, prompting the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-dominated provincial government to impose a 30-day ban on his entry into Sindh province, due to fears of more strife.

—Reuters