ISLAMABAD - The federal government will share evidence against MQM chief Altaf Hussain with Scotland Yard within next few days in the light of British laws regarding incitement to violence.

Well-placed sources in the Ministry of Interior said that the Sindh government had provided all the evidence available with it against Altaf Hussain including video footages and copy of the FIR registered against him regarding charges of incitement to violence that would be shared with the London Metropolitan Police by next Monday or Tuesday.

"The use of word 'filing of reference against Mr Hussain with UK government' is wrong as we are sharing evidence with Scotland Yard for an action against him on the basis of the British incitement to violence laws," a senior officer of the interior ministry said.

The government believes that the British government would not take action against Altaf Hussain with regard to his remarks against Pakistan, its army and the Rangers on the pretext of freedom of expression laws there and these charges will cut no ice with UK," he said adding the charges of incitement to violence would be a fit case against the MQM chief in UK. "For the first time we have evidence against the MQM chief that meets the criterion of the British laws to start an action against him."

Another officer of the ministry wishing anonymity said that the government was looking into all legal options to ban Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM). The government is working on this option silently but legal experts have advised it that the court would take the final decision on the issue and a decision that would embarrass the government could not be ruled out. "We will have to share a lot of evidence with courts and the government does not want to take itself in a difficult situation," he said.

“In the first instance we will see what the British Police take an action against MQM chief,” the officer said adding that the government of Pakistan would also appoint its legal counsel in this case in UK. The government does not want to seek extradition of Mr Hussain from UK, as it has no extradition treaty with the latter due to the death penalty laws in Pakistan, he added.

The government believes that the announcement of MQM leader Dr Farooq Sattar to take over the party is only a cover-up of action what Altaf Hussain did, a source close to Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said. But this is not the solution of the matter, as his set-up will have to take a final decision at a stage. However, the government has decided not to isolate the Urdu speaking people from the mainstream politics, the source said adding that the government believed that this case was purely a matter of states versus an individual who was misusing his position and the government did not want to make this case state versus Urdu speaking people of Karachi.

The official sources in the ministry informed that soon after the incident of attack of MQM workers on media offices in Karachi on the direction of Altaf Hussain, the interior minister had contacted British Home Secretary but he was on annual leave for a month. However, the minister contacted the British High Commissioner in Islamabad asking for astern action against Altaf Hussain. At the same time, the Ministry of Interior through Pakistan's High Commission in London was continuously interacting with Scotland Yard on the matter.