KARACHI: Documents suggesting a senior Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader had disclosed the party’s alleged links to India’s spy agency during an interview with British authorities are not property of the London Metropolitan Police, a spokesman confirmed to BBC Urdu.
In a clarification via email, Alan Crockford of the London Metropolitan Police told BBC Urdu that after carefully investigating media reports in Pakistan pertaining to Tariq Mir’s confession, the police can confirm no such documents are part of its record.
On Friday, documents purported to be property of the London police surfaced on social media, suggesting that MQM’s Tariq Mir had confessed in an interview that his party had New Delhi's support and that supremo Altaf Hussain received funding from India.
Take a look: India funding claims: Documents purport to reveal MQM leader's statement.
“Mr H was getting money from India. H got his money from different sources [blocked text],” the document reads.
Mir allegedly spoke to London police at the Edgware police station in May 2012, the document says, adding that he “attended voluntarily and was not under arrest”.
“The Indian government supported us because they thought it was good to support us [blocked text]. I don’t remember when I first met the Indians. I did meet them,” it reads, quoting an individual TM, believed to be Mir.
Three pages of text, some of it censored with what appears to be black ink, sent shockwaves across the country just days after a startling BBC report had made similar allegations citing an “authoritative Pakistani source.”
Know more: India provided funds to MQM, claims BBC report.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had directed the interior ministry to thoroughly investigate the claims made in the BBC report pertaining to the MQM receiving funding from India, and sought an early report in this regard.
Federal Interior Minister Nisar Ali Khan had also held a meeting with British High Commissioner Philip Barton and has formally written to the UK government requesting Pakistani authorities’ access to key information in relation to the serious allegations levelled by the BBC against MQM.
Meanwhile, a London police team is currently in Islamabad to investigate key suspects in the Imran Farooq murder case.
MQM calls for an end to "media trial"
MQM Coordination Committee in a statement called for an end to the "media trial" that it claims has been going on against the party, after the response of Met police to the documents was released by BBC Urdu.
The MQM also asked "media and opponents" to show some responsibility and "focus on real and grave issues instead of wasting energies on the MQM", said the statement.
