ISLAMABAD: An antiterrorism court here on Friday issued non-bailable warrants of arrest for three people belonging to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-London (MQM) in the murder case of Dr Imran Farooq.

The arrest warrants for Mohammad Anwar, Iftikhar Hussain and Kashif Kamran have been issued on the request of the Federal Investigation Agency. They have been nominated as accused in the murder case.

According to the FIA, Kashif Kamran is directly involved in the murder. Mohammad Anwar, a London-based leader of the MQM, has been accused of ordering the murder. Iftikhar Hussain is a cousin of MQM founder Altaf Hussain.

Two suspects in the case — Khalid Shamim and Mohsin Ali Syed — have already recorded their confessional statements before the magistrate in which they have alleged that Dr Farooq was killed because he was considered a “threat to the leadership of the MQM”.

Moazzam Ali, another accused in the case, has not yet recorded his confessional statement.

Khalid Shamim has confessed that Dr Farooq’s murder was a ‘birthday gift’ for Altaf Hussain.

Mohsin Syed said in his statement that he had taken part in the crime because he was promised a position in the London secretariat of the MQM.

On Dec 5, 2015, the FIA registered a case against MQM chief Altaf Hussain and others for their alleged involvement in the murder of Dr Farooq who was stabbed to death near his apartment in Green Lane, Edgware (London), in September 2010.

According to the Shamim’s statement, Kamran had revealed that Mohammad Anwar had specifically instructed to kill Dr Farooq on Sept 16 because Sept 17 was Altaf Hussain’s birthday and “the news would be given as a birthday gift”.

In his statement, he has alleged that Anwar had disclosed that Dr Farooq was trying to establish a separate group while emphasising that “it should not happen”. Though Dr Farooq’s membership of the party had been restored in 2005, Anwar had said that the issue still existed and needed to be resolved.

Mohsin Syed has confessed that he and Kamran monitored daily movements of Dr Farooq. He said he grabbed Dr Farooq while Kamran bludgeoned him with a brick and then stabbed him to ensure his death.

Following the murder, the suspects travelled to Sri Lanka and from there they reached Karachi.

According to the statements, after returning to Karachi Mohsin Syed and Kamran decided to leave the country and after a few days they travelled to Afghanistan where they stayed for five years.

Mohsin Syed and Shamim were later arrested while trying to enter Pakistan by crossing the Chaman border. Kamran’s whereabouts are still unknown. He may have died. However, in legal documents he has been declared ‘still at large’.

The court will take up the case on Dec 8.

Published in Dawn December 3rd, 2016