ISLAMABAD   -   While hearing the appeals of three convicts in Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader Imran Farooq murder case, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday raised the question that could a person be punished in Pakistan if he had committed crime in London. 

A division bench of IHC comprising Chief Justice of IHC Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Babar Sattar conducted hearing of the appeals filed by three convicts including Khalid Shamim, Moazzam Ali and Mohsin Ali challenging an anti-terrorism court’s verdict dated Jun 18, 2020 that had sentenced them to life imprisonment. 

During the hearing, the IHC Chief Justice asked from Additional Attorney General Khawaja Imtiaz that whether a person could be sentenced in Pakistan if he had committed crime in London. He said that in this matter, the First Information Report (FIR) of the murder was also registered in London. 

The IHC bench directed the AAG to submit written response in this regard after seeking directions from the federal government and deferred the hearing till May 27 for further proceedings. 

The convicts, Khalid Shamim, Moazzam Ali and Mohsin Ali, filed appeals through their counsel and requested the IHC to strike down the verdict and order their release. They made the state and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) as respondent in the appeals. 

On June 18, 2020, the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) of Islamabad had sentenced the appellants to life imprisonment in the high-profile murder case of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leader Dr Imran Farooq. They were also imposed a fine of Rs1.2 million each. 

In his appeal, Mohsin informed the court that the ATC judge had convicted him despite the fact that evidence with the prosecution was insufficient to connect him with the crime. 

He contended that he had been implicated in the case because of some banking transactions. He said that being a businessman, he had done several banking transactions with different individuals and entities. 

The appellant maintained that it was an admitted fact that he was not present at the crime scene at the time of the murder of Dr Farooq. 

The Counter-Terrorism Wing (CTW) of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) registered a First Information Report (FIR) alleging that assassination of Dr Farooq was the result of a conspiracy hatched in the United Kingdom and Pakistan by Altaf Hussain, founder of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Muhammad Anwar, senior member of the MQM, and Iftikhar Hussain. As a result of the conspiracy, Khalid Shamim and Moazzam Ali facilitated and sent Muhammad Kashif Khan Kamran, along with Syed Mohsin Ali, to the United Kingdom to kill Dr Imran Farooq. 

Dr Farooq was killed in Green Lane, Edgeware area of London, on Sept 16, 2010.