The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has sent an application to Interpol requesting the issuance of a red warrant against Muttahida Qaumi Movement-London (MQM-L) chief Altaf Hussain.

This is the second request by FIA to the global policing organisation to arrest and extradite Hussain after the first one was rejected earlier this year.

Interpol had refused to issue a red warrant against the MQM founder in February, saying it did not intervene in the political and religious matters of a state.

A senior official of the interior ministry told Dawn at the time on condition of anonymity that Interpol had sought a clarification from the government over the request for issuance of the red warrant against Hussain, besides asking for details of the sedition charges against him.

An Interpol notice is an international alert circulated to communicate information about crimes, criminals and threats from police in a member state or an authorised international entity to their counterparts around the world.

There are eight types of notices, seven of which are colour-coded by their function: red, blue, green, yellow, black, orange and purple. The most well-known is the red notice which is the closest instrument to an international arrest warrant in use today. The eighth — special notice — is issued at the request of the United Nations Security Council.

As a matter of policy, Interpol only publishes a notice that adheres to all the proper legal conditions. For example, a notice will not be published if it violates Interpol’s constitution, which forbids the organisation from undertaking activities of a political, military, religious, or racial character.

According to the interior ministry, all legal requirements for the warrant request have now been fulfilled keeping in view the rules and regulations of Interpol.

Hussain, who is wanted in Pakistan for a string of criminal cases, fell out of favour with mainstream MQM workers after an inflammatory speech on August 22 last year which saw treason cases being registered against the estranged party leader.

Explore: What Altaf said...

In his speech, Hussain had not only raised slogans against Pakistan, but also called the country “a cancer for the entire world”.