ISLAMABAD, June 20: Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said here on Thursday that he had been briefed by the British authorities in detail on the ongoing investigation into the murder of MQM leader Dr Imran Farooq, but “it would be premature to share it with the media” at this stage.

Answering journalists’ questions about reports of large-scale search of houses in northwest London in connection with the investigation, he said he was not in a position now to say anything more on the matter.

Meanwhile, several TV channels said the Counter Terrorism Command Unit of London Metropolitan Police concluded on Thursday a 55-hour search in two northwest London “residential addresses”. The news reports said that one of the houses belonged to Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain. However, there was no independent confirmation of the report.

The New Scotland Yard, which raided the houses on Wednesday, confiscated many documents during the search.

Dr Farooq, a former convener of MQM, was stabbed to death in September 2010 when he was returning home.

The TV reports said the raid had started on Tuesday at around 6am at two important addresses on Edgeware Road.

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police confirmed to the correspondent of one of the channels that officers of the MP’s Counter Terrorism Command “executed search warrants at two residential addresses in northwest London as part of the continuing investigation” into the murder of Dr Farooq. There have been many searches/raids but no arrests have been made.