NEARLY four years after the brutal murder of MQM leader Dr Imran Farooq in London, Scotland Yard seems to be closing in on the suspects believed to be responsible for the politician’s killing. On Tuesday, the British authorities released the names and pictures of two men they want to trace in connection with the homicide. Both individuals are Pakistanis who left the UK soon after Dr Farooq’s slaying. The British police must be commended for not giving up and for doggedly pursuing this case, investigating all angles in order to establish the facts behind the Muttahida leader’s murder. In Pakistan, where the murders of even heads of state and government remain unsolved for years thanks to official ineptitude and obfuscation, the authorities would do well to learn from Scotland Yard’s determination. The British police took advantage of modern technology coupled with scientific investigation methods to home in on the suspects. CCTV footage of Dr Farooq was used in the investigation to determine his movements prior to the murder, while footage of the suspects was also reportedly studied. Thousands of people were interviewed in the investigation process while British police also examined how the two suspects managed to get UK visas from Pakistan, zeroing in on the London college they were supposed to be studying at.

The naming of the suspects and the general progress in the case should be welcomed by all in Pakistan, especially the MQM, as Dr Farooq was a front-rank Muttahida leader, once considered the party’s prime ideologue. The party said it is “diligently cooperating” in the investigation and we hope such cooperation continues till Imran Farooq’s killers are brought to justice. As some media outlets have reported, the two suspects are believed to be in the custody of Pakistani intelligence. If indeed these individuals are in Pakistan, then the government must also cooperate with British authorities in order to solve Dr Farooq’s case. Moreover, local law enforcement authorities would gain tremendously by taking a leaf out of the British police’s book when it comes to investigating homicide. The Karachi police can especially benefit, considering that the metropolis witnesses hundreds of sectarian, ethnic and politically motivated killings every year.

Published in Dawn, May 29th, 2014