FIA seeks approval for Altaf ‘red warrants’ in Imran Farooq murder case

Agency sources say that it has sent a letter to interior ministry

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Friday sought the interior ministry’s formal approval for initiating the process of obtaining Interpol’s ‘red warrants’ for MQM’s self-exiled founder Altaf Hussain in Dr Imran Farooq’s murder case.

FIA sources acknowledged that the department has sent a letter to the ministry in this regard.



After obtaining permission and going through the required paperwork, a senior FIA official said that Pakistan would formally contact Interpol to issue a ‘red notice’ against Altaf Hussain, seeking his extradition to Pakistan.

In December 2015, the agency had registered a case against Altaf Hussain and other party leaders in the murder of former MQM leader Dr Imran Farooq.

The case was filed by FIA’s counter-terrorism wing in Islamabad under sections 302, 34, 109, 120B of the Pakistan Penal Code and Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act. These sections pertain to conspiracy, assistance, abetment and ultimately assassination/murder. Farooq was assassinated in London on September 2010.



In recent past, the Scotland Yard dropped a money laundering case against Altaf Hussain and others, citing insufficient evidence. The federal interior minister had expressed serious concern over the closure of case against Hussain. Interpol notices are international requests of cooperation or ‘alerts’, allowing police in member countries to share critical crime-related information.

In case of ‘red notices’, suspects are wanted by national jurisdictions for prosecution or to serve a sentence.

Interpol assists national police forces in identifying and locating these wanted persons for lawful action.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 4^th, 2017.