ISLAMABAD: The Interior Ministry of Pakistan has approved the request to issue ‘red warrants’ for Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) founder in hate speech case.
The Anti-Terrorism Court had ordered to ensure presence of MQM founder on next hearing in the case.
Following the red warrants, Interpol will be approached for the arrest of MQM founder.
MQM founder is also wanted to police in several cases including terrorism.
It may also be noted here that Federal Investigation Authority (FIA) last week had also requested the Interior Ministry to issue red warrants of MQM founder and bring him back to the country through Interpol in Imran Farooq murder case.
Imran Farooq, 50, a founding member of the MQM, was stabbed and beaten to death in Edgware, north-west London, as he returned home from work on September 16, 2010. Farooq was a close confidante of MQM founder Altaf Hussain and a senior party leader when he fled the country in 1992.
He was living in North London after claiming political asylum and had reportedly later become an inactive member of the party.
London Metropolitan police last year in a statement provided the progress in the investigation into the murder. According to the Met police, around 4,600 people have been interrogated in relation to the case so far and up to 7,800 documents have been reviewed in the case.
The London police said officials from the Metropolitan Police Service Counter Terrorism Command are determined to see the investigations into Imran Farooq’s murder through.
Police had also charged MNA Kanwar Naveed Jameel, Qamar Mansoor and Shahid Pasha in the three cases for allegedly listening to and facilitating the speech.
They had additionally named Hussain, Dr Farooq Sattar, Khawaja Izharul Hasan, Dr Amir Liaquat Hussain and other MQM leaders as absconders.
FIRs for the three cases had been lodged on the complaints of three private persons.
In its last hearing of the cases, the court had issued non-bailable warrants for the arrest of the absconders, and directed the investigating officer to approach the interior ministry and secure red warrants for the MQM supremo’s arrest through Interpol.
Following Hussain’s Aug 22 diatribe, a large number of cases were filed against the party chief in Karachi, Quetta and Gilgit-Biltistan region. Anti-terrorism courts hearing these cases have also issued separate non-bailable warrants against the MQM chief.
