Imran Farooq murder case: Khalid Shamim willing to become witness

Alleges foreign intelligence agencies supporting MQM leaders

ISLAMABAD: One of the suspects in the Imran Farooq murder case has shown willingness to become a prosecution witness against the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM).

Khalid Shamim made a short, unofficial statement to the media while being taken to jail after his court appearance in Islamabad’s anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Thursday.



When a reporter asked him if he would become a prosecution witness, the blindfolded suspect replied in the affirmative. His suspected accomplice, Mohsin Ali, preferred to remain silent except for the time he was allowed to meet his family members.

Khalid also requested the people to support him in taking the case to the International Court of Justice, claiming the MQM leadership has links with foreign intelligence agencies.

He specifically named America’s Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and Great Britain’s Military Intelligence (MI6) for supporting MQM chief Altaf Hussain and Muhammad Anwar, among others.

ATC-I Judge Kausar Abbas has sent the suspects back to jail on remand for another 14 days. They would be presented in the court again on February 4.

Last Thursday, Khalid and Mohsin had recorded their confessional statements before a magistrate, saying Imran Farooq was killed because he had become a ‘potent threat’ to the party’s leadership.

 

The suspects, sources said, had confessed their involvement in the assassination and did not deny the prosecution’s claims of conspiring and abetting the murder.

Khalid had claimed senior MQM leader Muhammad Anwar had ordered Dr Farooq’s murder, and he agreed to do the task as he was a ‘diehard’ MQM activist.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 22^nd,  2016.