ISLAMABAD: The Interior Ministry on Tuesday gave its approval for the issuance of red warrant against Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain.
The red warrant is an international notice sent to the International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol) seeking the arrest and extradition of an individual.
The MQM founder is wanted in various cases that include charges of terrorism and incitement to violence, among other offences.
The approval for the red warrant was given apparently in compliance with the orders of an anti-terrorism court hearing three identical cases against Altaf pertaining to his August 22 anti-state speech.
In January, an ATC in Karachi issued non-bailable arrest warrant for Altaf and 20 other senior party leaders for delivering and facilitating anti-Pakistan speeches, as well as issuing disparaging remarks against the Pakistan Army. Police had charged MNA Kanwar Naveed Jameel, Qamar Mansoor and Shahid Pasha in three cases for allegedly listening to and facilitating the speech. They had additionally named Altaf Hussain, Dr Farooq Sattar, Khawaja Izharul Hasan, Dr Amir Liaquat Hussain and other MQM leaders “absconders”. The first information reports (FIRs) of the three cases had been lodged on the complaints of three different persons.
During the last hearing of the cases, the court had issued non-bailable warrants for the arrest of the absconders, and directed the investigation officer to approach the Interior Ministry and secure the red warrant for the MQM leader’s arrest through the Interpol.
Following Altaf’s August 22 diatribe, many cases were filed against the party chief in Karachi, Quetta and Gilgit-Baltistan. Anti-terrorism courts hearing these cases had also issued separate non-bailable warrants for the arrest of the MQM chief.
It may be mentioned here that the Federal Investigation Authority (FIA) had also requested the Interior Ministry last week to issue red warrant for the arrest of the MQM founder and bring him back to the country through the 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 Altaf Hussain and a senior party leader when he fled the country in 1992.
