KARACHI: The Pakistan Rangers informed an antiterrorism court on Tuesday that a suspect, said to be a key character in the Dr Imran Farooq murder case, was placed under 90-day preventive detention for interrogation.

The paramilitary soldiers, with their legal team, brought Moazzam Ali Khan to an antiterrorism court with his face covered amid tight security.

He was produced in the chamber of judge in charge of ATC-II Anandram Sairani and law officers of the civil armed force contended that in exercise of powers conferred by the provincial government through a notification dated March 11, 2014, he was picked up on receiving credible information about his involvement in targeted killing and terrorism activities punishable under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA), 1997.

Therefore, they said the detainee was put under preventive detention for three months under Section 11EEEE (1) of the ATA. They added that the production of the suspect was made with copies of the notification, detention order and jail warrant for the record and information of the court as required under Section 11EEEE (3) of the ATA.

According to Section 11EEEE (1) (preventive detention for inquiry), “the government or, where the provisions of section 4 have been invoked, the armed forces or civil armed forces, as the case may be, subject to the specific or general order of the government in this regard, for period not exceeding three months and after recording reasons thereof, issue order for the preventive detention of any person who has been concerned in any offence under this act relating to the security or defence of Pakistan or any part thereof, or public order relating to target killing, kidnapping for ransom, and extortion / bhatta, or the maintenance of supplies or services, or against whom a reasonable complaint has been made or credible information has been received, or a reasonable suspicion exists of his having been so concerned, for purpose of inquiry”.

On Monday, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan disclosed that a central suspect in the murder case had been arrested in Karachi by the intelligence and security agencies.

Without naming the suspect, the minister said the detainee had allegedly helped two suspected killers of the MQM leader by arranging their visas, tickets and stay in Britain.

Scotland Yard had last year named two Pakistanis, Mohsin Ali Syed and Mohammad Kashif Khan Kamran, as wanted in the murder of Dr Farooq. Both alleged killers were said to be arrested in 2011 at Karachi airport, and are believed to be in the custody of an intelligence agency.

The 50-year-old MQM leader was on his way home from work when he was murdered on Sept 16, 2010 near his London home. A post-mortem examination found that he died from multiple stab wounds and blunt trauma to the head.

Published in Dawn, April 15th, 2015

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