MQM leader Imran Farooq killed in London: reports

Society Pakistan & World Affairs
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Re: MQM leader Imran Farooq killed in London: reports

How convenient, Altaf Hussain crying in front of the cameras and media

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Re: MQM leader Imran Farooq killed in London: reports

Yaar, everyone hires an assassin, but is not that Western police never solved such cases before and got to the bottom of that. I dont think that Altaf is that stupid, considering that Imran Farooq was not even a threat for Altaf in anyways.

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Why would Altaf bhai need to buy off the British authorities, when he has been given political cover for the last fifteen years by same British Government despite knowing his track record...Altaf bhai is an MI5 asset, he can do whatever he pleases to further his and his paymaster's cause...

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Re: MQM leader Imran Farooq killed in London: reports

Yaar please, conspiracies kee bhee eik had hotee hai. Altaf, BB, Musharraf .. there are so many who lived and still living in london under political amenity. That does not make everyone an asset to MI5

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Imran Farooq's killer said to have been captured by British Police - ARY News

More to come...

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Re: MQM leader Imran Farooq killed in London: reports

Awesome

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Re: MQM leader Imran Farooq killed in London: reports

Nothing so far on GEO or BBC. The killer by now would have sneaked out of UK.

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Re: MQM leader Imran Farooq killed in London: reports

Delusion ki bhi koi had hoti hai...fact of the matter is when in this age of war on terror, many innocents have been arrested, detained and extradited on mere bogus, seceret and hearsay evidence by British authorities, they've refused to move agaoinst Altaf despite knowing and being provided with treasure trove of evidence by the likes of Imran Khan...this can only mean that even if bhai is not an MI5 asset, he certainly does enjoy their and by extension British Governement's protection...

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Re: MQM leader Imran Farooq killed in London: reports

.. so much so that he get away with a murder, literally?

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Re: MQM leader Imran Farooq killed in London: reports

very true. the same people who are up in arms about terrorism and literally ransacking every pak passenger who comes through their airports, have given assylums to notorious terrorsits/criminals like altaf and the now deceased. hypocricy at its best, there has to be a deal under the table with these mobsters, couldn't have given them a free stay out of the goodness of their hearts. espionage is a dirty game and this murder might be proof of that.

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**
Scotland Yard investigates political assassination as fears rise of Karachi gang violence spreading**

Scotland Yard counter-terrorism police have been called in to lead the murder inquiry into the London killing of a Pakistani politician after officials warned a bloody struggle between political factions in Karachi was on its way to Britain.

Security sources told the Daily Telegraph the murder inquiry into the death of Imran Farooq, a founder member of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), had been taken over by Scotland Yard’s Counter-Terrorism Command which investigates political assassinations. MI5 is also likely to be called in to help with the hunt for the killers.

Scotland Yard last night appealed for witnesses to the crime.

Karachi, Pakistan’s commercial capital, was in lockdown following the murder of Dr Farooq, who had lived in the UK since claiming asylum in 1999.

Hundreds of deaths of loyalists from rival political and ethnic gang have been recorded this year in a murky corruption and racketeering turf war.

“This has been going on here for years and it’s not a surprise to see something happen in London,” said a senior counter-terrorism official in Karachi, speaking on condition of anonymity. “These networks extend a long way and are very well developed.”

He said it was impossible to tell who was responsible – from fellow MQM members, to rival political parties, business associates or even the Taliban, which is active in the city.

Detectives in London have not ruled out the possibility that Dr Farooq was killed in a random mugging. However, a political motive could spark political clashes in Karachi or undermine the stability of Pakistan’s governing coalition, which includes the MQM.

Dr Farooq came to prominence in the late 1980s as general secretary of the newly formed party, which drew its strength from Urdu-speaking immigrants from India who arrived in Karachi after partition.

He was forced into hiding in 1992 during a military crackdown on his party during a violent struggle for control of Karachi. Along with many of his party leadership he was accused of involvement in the kidnap, murder and torture of political opponents drawn from Pashtu-speakers from northwestern Pakistan.

He always denied the allegations and eventually surfaced in London seven years later.

His death on Thursday night, outside his home in North London, took place as party members were preparing to mark the birthday of their leader, Altaf Hussain the next day.

Farooq Sattar, the party’s leader in Pakistan, said the timing suggested a political motive.

“The date looks like it was selected by design,” he told The Daily Telegraph, but added that a number of other possibilities remained.

“We are trying to keep a lid on speculation. Conspiracy theories could provoke more trouble.”

Mohamad Anwar, a party member in London, said the leadership had received threat warnings.

“Because we did not find any symptoms of robbery, we feel that there may be an element of conspiracy and therefore, hence, we can think that this was an assassination,” he said.

Political leaders called for calm during 10 days of mourning.

Yousuf Raza Gilani, the prime minister, said: “It was a great loss to the party and the family.” Traders and bus drivers in Karachi stayed at home yesterday(FRI). Streets were deserted as many people feared a slide into renewed ethnic violence.

Last month Raza Haider, another MQM member, was gunned down with his guard as he attended a funeral near the centre of Karachi. The killing triggered violence in which dozens of people were killed and at least 100 wounded.

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Murder of Pakistani exile ‘politically motivated’

A Pakistani politician killed in London is thought to have been the victim of a politically motivated attack.

Scotland Yard’s counter-terrorism unit, SO15, has taken over the investigation into Imran Farooq’s murder.

Mr Farooq, a senior member of the MQM party who sought asylum in London in 1999, was stabbed and beaten outside his home in Edgware on Thursday.

His murder has sparked violence in Karachi where a 10-day period of mourning has been announced by the MQM.

The BBC’s home affairs correspondent, Danny Shaw, said although no-one had been arrested, the working assumption at this stage was that the killing was politically motivated.

Personal protection

The exiled politician was living in London with his wife Shumaila and their sons, aged three and five, in Green Lane.
Imran Farooq - picture provided by MQM party Imran Farooq was a founding member of the MQM

Mr Farooq died about an hour after being found.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: "When officers arrived they found an Asian male, aged 50, suffering from multiple stab wounds and head injuries.

“He was treated by paramedics at the scene but was pronounced dead at 1837 BST.”

Following his death security forces were deployed on the streets of Karachi where vehicles and shops have been set alight.

Petrol stations, schools and markets across the city closed as public transport ground to a halt at the start of a 10-day mourning period announced by the MQM (Muttahida Quami Movement).

The security of other Pakistani politicians living in London is understood to be under review.

Raza Haroon, a member of the MQM central co-ordination committee, said his friend had “so many enemies” but did not have any personal protection.

He said the killing could have been politically motivated because Mr Farooq was “outspoken and because of his affiliation with the MQM”.

The former Pakistani parliamentarian was one of the founding members of the MQM, a former opposition party which is now part of the ruling PPP-led alliance.

It is believed the London headquarters of the MQM moved several months ago as a result of security concerns.

Mohammad Anwar, a friend and colleague of Mr Farooq, said his killing had come as a “huge surprise”.

“We are in a state of profound shock and we are very sad,” he said.

He refused to comment on whether the murder was politically motivated but added: “This does not seem to be a robbery or burglary.”

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Re: MQM leader Imran Farooq killed in London: reports

Violence fears in Pakistan after Imran Farooq’s murder

Pakistani soldiers in Karachi patrol the area around a minibus torched by protesters, following the murder of Imran Farooq The murder of Imran Farooq triggered violent protests in Karachi

“This is the most tragic event in the history of our party”, says a red-eyed Farooq Sattar.

Mr Sattar is head of the MQM’s leadership in Pakistan. He was speaking to the BBC in a small crowded room in the ancestral home of the now-deceased Imran Farooq.

Sitting beside him is a frail and weary looking Farooq Ahmed - father of the slain MQM leader.

We had arrived a little earlier at the Farooq residence in Karachi’s middle-class neighbourhood of Sharifabad. Located near the heart of the city, it is made up of apartment complexes - and small three-storey houses. The Farooq residence is just such a building.
A man comforts a family member of Imran Farooq in Karachi It appears that MQM is once again feeling under siege

Hundreds of grim-looking mourners are packed into the narrow lanes leading up to the house.

There is also a great deal of anger, although it has been muted so far.

Security is tight - there is a strong presence of paramilitary rangers and police.

MQM activists have also set up several checkpoints where all cars and pedestrians are thoroughly searched.

We have just driven down from the nearby MQM party headquarters. There were fewer people there, but just as tight security.

The party leadership in Pakistan is now debating what should be their future strategy.

‘Cause not accomplished’

Despite the fact the murder took place thousands of miles away, there is real fear here.

After many years of relative calm, it appears the MQM is once again feeling under siege.

“I spoke to my son a day before the incident - he was fine and spoke cheerfully,” Mr Ahmed says.

Sitting on a bed across from him is his wife Raeesa, who breaks out in tears at the mention of her dead son’s name.

“My boy was a good man - he only fought for the poor and underpriviledged,” she says.

"I was so afraid for him when the operation started - but was happy when he appeared in London.

“Even though he was so far away, at least he was safe.”

Both parents say the last time they saw their son was back in May 2009.

“He was happy with life and committed to his work in the party,” his father says. “On Wednesday, he was telling me how his children were doing - he was quite pleased.”

However, he refrained from commenting who might be behind the murder: “I can’t say who was responsible.”

He does add something rather cryptically.

"The situation is still the same, " Mr Ahmed says, referring to MQM’s struggle against he country’s status quo. “The cause for which he was fighting has not been accomplished. Being in the government was never the goal.”

Terrifying consequences

His mother, however, breaks down in tears again.

“He was a patient humble boy - he was always worried about my health,” she says.

Outside, neighbours and well-wishers express similar sentiments.

“He was a quiet and well-behaved young man,” say Faiz Mohammad, an elderly man. “I remember meeting him in the streets and he was always very polite. The charges against him were all rubbish - the army manufactured them to malign him.”

Ruksana, a young woman who was amongst the mourners, says that “Farooq was an inspirational leader”.

“We want to say to Altaf Altaf Hussein [MQM leader], we are with you and you should not feel alone,” she adds.

Meanwhile, emotions continue to simmer as some MQM leaders say there could be trouble if a connection is established with Pakistan.

“Our leaders continue to be killed despite the restraint we have exercised,” says deputy parliamentary leader Faisal Subzwari. “We are committed to the peace in Pakistan, but some forces have not accepted our anti-feudal policies and continue to target our leaders.”

Despite such provocations, Mr Subzwari says the MQM has shown great restraint.

But if connections are established between Pakistan and Mr Farooq’s assassin, that may be soon be swept away.

For Karachi, and Pakistan, the consequences are terrifying.

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Re: MQM leader Imran Farooq killed in London: reports

I cant wait to know about the murderer revealation by british police..

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Imran Farooq colleagues fear murder was political

Members of Muttahida Qaumi Movement believe Pakistani politician was targeted by extremists or government-linked forces

Detectives and colleagues of a senior Pakistani opposition politician stabbed and beaten to death in a residential street in north London said tonight they were working on the assumption it was a political assassination.

Imran Farooq, one of the co-founders of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), a powerful, Karachi-based party run for almost two decades by a leadership exiled to the London suburb of Edgware, was found near his home after neighbours witnessed what they initially believed was a fight. Paramedics were called but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

The 50-year-old, who was married with two young sons, claimed UK asylum in 1999 alongside Altaf Hussain, who remains the MQM’s leader and has been outspoken in condemning Islamist militancy in Pakistan and the Islamabad government’s response to devastating floods.

News of the killing sent Karachi into mourning, with streets deserted, schools and businesses shuttered and buses taken off the roads. Several vehicles were set alight and the city, Pakistan’s biggest, remained tense.

Scotland Yard refused to comment on a possible motive, but a source said homicide detectives had passed the investigation to the force’s counter-terrorism command, indicating a suspected political motive. The source added: “The counter-terrorism command have much better knowledge about the factional fighting in Pakistan and the politics there.”

Before entering the UK Farooq spent seven years on the run in Pakistan from criminal charges while the MQM was engaged in a violent battle for control of Karachi. Despite his long exile hHe remained a key party figure and was close to Hussain.

While the MQM leader is protected by private guards and rarely appears in public following death threats, colleagues said Farooq never believed he was at risk and had played a smaller role in the party since the birth of his sons, now five and three.

Farooq was attacked as he made his way home from his job at a local pharmacy, said Mohammad Anwar, a friend of 25 years who worked with Farooq on the MQM’s central co-ordinating committee.

“If someone took the time to watch him they would know what time he came home every night. It would be very straightforward. He didn’t take any precautions because he didn’t believe he was in danger,” Anwar said. “We all thought that we wouldn’t be under threat here.”

“There is no reason to indicate that this was a robbery or mugging,” he told the Guardian at the MQM’s headquarters in an office block close to Farooq’s home.

“It could be a signal to Mr Hussain, to weaken resistance. Whoever did it could be telling him – and all of us – ‘If we can reach him we can reach you.’” Other party members were reviewing their security, he added. The party had previously told police and the Foreign Office of threats to Hussain’s life, but these did not appear to be taken seriously, Anwar said.
**
Neighbours in Farooq’s street said the alarm was raised around 5.30pm yesterday when a woman saw what she believed was a fight between two Asian men on communal ground below her flat.**
**
“She saw him being knocked on the head a couple of times. She heard screams and she saw someone beating him,” said Sam Igbi, who lives nearby. “She said he struggled and then the guy stabbed him.”**

Party officials in Karachi declared a 10-day period of mourning. Previous political killings have inspired riots and shootings between rival factions, many of whom are heavily armed.

Analysts said they were keeping an open mind as to the identity of Farooq’s killer. The MQM has long-standing rivalries with ethnic Pashtun and Sindhi parties in Karachi. The MQM has also been rocked by occasional internecine violence.

A diplomatic source said the killing appeared particularly unusual because of Farooq lack of recent political activity: “He was lying low in the past two years. He had expressed no concern for his own safety.”

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/sep/17/imran-farooq-murder-fear-politically-motivated

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Re: MQM leader Imran Farooq killed in London: reports

Dr. Imran Farooq was my brother in law. May Allah rest his soul in peace.

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Re: MQM leader Imran Farooq killed in London: reports

Oh! RIP!

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Re: MQM leader Imran Farooq killed in London: reports

May Allah give your family strength, forgive him, and rest his soul in peace. ameen