Nisar hands British diplomat dossier against MQM chief

War against militants and extremists in Karachi would continue in any case, says Nisar

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has handed over to the United Kingdom (UK) ‘evidence of use of threatening language’ against Pakistan’s security agencies by a British citizen, Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain.

Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan on Wednesday met British High Commissioner Philip Barton to discuss Altaf Hussain’s remarks against the Rangers following the paramilitary force raid on the MQM headquarters Nine-Zero earlier this month.

“The UK must pursue legal course against the MQM chief [a British citizen] who has threatened the law-enforcing agencies in Pakistan,” he was quoted as saying by a senior official who also attended Wednesday’s meeting. According to the official, the meeting was not scheduled.

The interior minister, who has given the Rangers the go-ahead to pursue legal course against anyone involved in terrorism, told Barton that such threatening statements coming from British soil could harm the ongoing operation against criminals in Karachi.

The development came a day after the Karachi police registered an FIR against the MQM leader for “making threatening remarks against the paramilitary force”. “All evidences were shared with British high commissioner,” the official said on condition of anonymity.

This was the second meeting between the interior minister and Philip Barton since March 11 – the day the Rangers raided the MQM headquarters in Karachi and “arrested a number of convicted criminals and target killers and recovered a large cache of arms and ammunition”.

According to officials, the interior minister also briefed the British diplomat about the ongoing operations against militants across the country as well as issues related to exchange of convicted prisoners and lifting of a ban on capital punishment. Nisar also justified Pakistan’s stance on execution of ‘jet-black terrorists’.

He said the war against militants and extremists in Karachi would continue in any case, adding that this was the incumbent government’s top priority.

Last week, Chaudhry Nisar had justified the raid at the MQM headquarters. “The Rangers conducted the raid at the MQM headquarters in Karachi on specific intelligence report,” he had said in an interview with PTV World.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 19^th, 2015.